Washington state’s Olympic National Forest has announced the closure of trails due to reports of unusually hostile mountain goats in the area. It’s not the first time mountain goats have posed a threat to hikers in Washington. As the weather heats up and more people head outdoors, the forest service is closing some trails in the Olympic National Forest because some mountain goats are getting aggressive.
Due to reports of hostile behavior by the mountain goats that are “not usually aggressive by nature,” an emergency closure was implemented on the north and south ends of Mount Ellinor Trail #812 in the Olympic National Forest.
Wildlife biologist Kurt Aluzas believes this year’s deep snowpack contributed to the animals’ aggression. “Deep snowpack has confined the goats to trailside areas in combinations with seasonably high demand for minerals (salts,) and their habituation to people,” he said in a news release. “There is also the potential that the Nanny goats are being protective of their young.”
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