Goats have not traditionally been a favored animal for nomadic Mongolians. They do too much damage to the roots of plants. However in recent years the lure of high pay for cashmere has lead to a steady increase in goat herds. Now they are all over Mongolia. Although we were fed more beef, we saw far more goats.
1. Sometimes quite close.
2. As with all animals, there were herds running around loose everywhere we looked. Although there were corals that the animals were put into at certain times, they were far more likely to be seen running across the road.
3.
4.
5. This particular family has lost a large number of their goats to wolves. To help counteract, they put a light bulb at the end of the tall pole, and pin the sheep and goats together each night. I’m not sure how that works, but it seemed to make the family feel better.
6.
7. In the Gobi Desert the herds have to be watered every day from one of the wells dotting the landscape. This one has a generator inside the building to pump the water. Each family puts in only the amount of gas they think will be needed to water their animals. This particular herd – a mix of horses, sheep and goats – took quite a while to water with several hundred head.
8. With so many, it’s not surprising that a goat that has gone off to give birth might get left behind.
9. Other families prefer the kind of well where you have to lift the water out yourself.
10. The animals can be quite skittish. They aren’t necessarily handled all that much.
11. One family we visited had their goats pinned up for milking. The women jumped in and quickly milked one after another.
12. Meanwhile the babies and males waited nearby.
13.
13 Responses to 13 Pictures of Goats in Mongolia