Biosecurity Spotters logo

Feral goat (Capra hircus)

Feral goats overgraze rangelands and rocky hills, compete with livestock and native animals, and stop shrubs and trees from regenerating.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, mammal.

Native to: Domestic goats.

Established in: QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA, WA.

Identification

  • Varied coat colours; both sexes may have horns.
  • Signs include browse lines on shrubs, tracks, pellets and camps in rocky areas.

Where it lives

Rangelands, rocky hills and gorges, mainly in the semi-arid south and west.

Why it matters

  • Overgrazing and erosion.
  • Competition with livestock and rock-wallabies.
  • Damage to revegetation.

How it spreads

  • Escape from farms and release of domestic goats.

Control methods

  • Mustering and trapping at water points for sale or slaughter.
  • Ground and aerial shooting by approved operators.
  • Judas goat programs to locate remaining animals.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Keep goats out of rehabilitation areas with fencing.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): Key threatening process. Listed under the EPBC Act, with a national threat abatement plan for competition and land degradation by unmanaged goats.
  • Queensland: Restricted matter, categories 3, 4, 6. Do not give it away, sell or release it into the environment; do not move it; do not feed it. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: General biosecurity duty. Not prohibited matter in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Established pest animal. Landowners must take all reasonable steps to prevent its spread and, as far as possible, eradicate it on their land.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C3). C3 Management: landholders must manage it to reduce its impact and stop it spreading.
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Declared pest. It is a declared pest throughout the ACT.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Western Australia: Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 (WA), administered by the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

Sources