Howth Head goat herd Melissa Jeuken: ‘How could we let them die out or be hunted for sport?’
‘How could we let them die out or be hunted for sport?’, says Melissa Jeuken
Ireland’s only native breed of goat is critically endangered, with only 124 documented in the country, yet it is being hunted for sport by people paying thousands of euro on bloodsports tours.
According to concerned locals and conservationists, the goats are being targeted by trophy hunters — they have no State protection despite being on the verge of extinction.
“They are a majestic, beautiful goat and that’s the very reason they are being hunted. It’s trophy hunting — they are very charismatic goats and that can be appealing to hunters,” explains Melissa Jeuken, a herder who minds the only documented herd of the Old Irish Goat, which are part of a breeding and conservation programme on Howth Head.
