South Dakota’s Mountain Goats Come From Six Escaped Canadian Goats

The fact that mountain goats are not indigenous to South Dakota surprises a lot of people, both tourists and locals. These agile animals, along with bison and bighorn sheep, are among the state's most recognizable species and are frequently seen climbing around Mount Rushmore. But where did they come from?

In Western Canada and the United States, mountain goats, also referred to as Rocky Mountain Goats, are common. Their estimated population is between 75,000 and 100,000. All of the Black Hills specimens can be linked to six Canadian goats. Goats being goats, they weren't content to stay in their enclosures after being donated to Custer State Park in 1924.

Numerous animals were kept at the Custer State Park Zoo, including a bear, deer, elk, bobcat, wolf, porcupine, fox, a Yellowstone moose, coyotes, and badgers. Visitors would be able to see these animals without running the risk of encountering them in the wild. The six goats managed to get away and find refuge in the granite mountains after venturing into the wild. Today's increase of more than 200 is continuing, with no signs of stopping down any time soon.