W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M
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may be more than some goat herds can sustain.
was subtle enough. He
merely stood in my way,
refusing to give way. I
had to go around him
to proceed. e next I
hardly noticed. e third
was a present-threat he
made sure I noticed.
I was walking alongside a nanny, taking notes. Gore appeared
beside me just within my personal space. His tail was rucked down
and he slightly tensed. He watched me intently but made no further
move, so I ignored his stare-threat and turned to see what the nanny
was doing. e next thing I knew, I was being lifted up with a horn
in my knee and spilled onto my back. It was not a vicious thrust. By
Gore's standards it was probably more like a warning prod. But it
had gone right through
my soft hide, and only
the leg bone close to the
surface at the knee had
kept it from penetrating
more deeply.
ereafter I had a new
place in goat society and
insight into its workings.
Global warming is bound to have consequences for mountain
goats, which follow the retreating snow line upward during sum-
mer and have a tough time dealing with heat. Largely confined
to mountaintops to begin with, herds stand to see their ranges
reduced along with the ability to move between areas and exchange
genetic material.
CHARLES
RENFRO
