Grand Teton park considers eradicating goats

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Jackson, Wyo. • Grand Teton National Park officials are working on a plan that could result in removing mountain goats from the park in northwest Wyoming.

National Park Service spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs says the goats could pose threats to the welfare of native bighorn sheep.

Skaggs tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide that there are about 100 bighorn sheep in the park.

Mountain goats were introduced to the region in the late 1960s for hunting purposes. About a dozen live year-round in Grand Teton.

While the goats are popular with wildlife watchers, they are considered an exotic species, having just established a breeding population in the Teton Range in 2008.

Skaggs says it's too early to say exactly what options will be considered in the plan.

The Associated Press