[pct-l] salt loving goats

[jeffmoorehead1 at cox.net (Jeff Moorehead)]

I missed the original discussion on these 'Gorge Goats'. Are they being 
introduced or reintroduced? Makes a difference. Mountain goats are native to 
the northern Rockies and the northwest ranges (all the way to Alaska). They 
are not native to the southern Rockies where they were introduced in the San 
Juans of southern Colorado back in the 70's. I have frequently encountered 
these goats and witnessed their ensuing damage on the alpine tundra of 
southern Colorado. Also, the vegetation in southern alpine areas has 
substantially less sodium content than in the goat's native ranges to the 
north. So the goats in southern Colorado need sodium all the time. They see 
backpackers as a source of salt. They are so sodium-starved that they will 
pursue people (at as close a range as humans will feel comfortable) and wait 
patiently for humans to urinate, at which time they promptly drink up the 
urine. Sickos!
 I don't think this is solely characteristic of the southern goats (any 
generalist herbivore's diet is deficient in sodium). The perceived 
aggression/domestication of the goats is most likely a desire for your body 
salts.
 All this aside, I kind of enjoy their presence, even though they are 
exerting damage on the tundra. We as backpackers, can minimize the damage by 
urinating on rocks and not on soil so the goats won't uproot the tundra to 
get at the salt in the urine.