Getting ready for Mountain Goat procedure

It seems a simple proposition. You need to give a mountain goat an injection. But as you will find in the following pictures, Dr. Allison Case, Head Keeper Ed Cleveland and Keeper Jenny Robinson get a lot done in a little time with a yearling mountain goat nanny.

Cameron, an intern, loading equipment.

   Dr. Case's "office" is open to bison visits.

A portable scale is set up with a board
placed across the silver sensors laid out on the pavement.

The procedure

After using an air gun to shoot the sedative-loaded dart
into the goat, the staff waits for the goat to show
signs of sedation. She sleepily sits down.

Immediately Dr. Allison, Ed and Jenny load the goat onto a stretcher for the trip to the scale and then to a shady area for the rest of her physical. Her eyes are covered so she isn't stimulated during the procedure.

             

 

 

The staff moves quickly once the goat is on the ground in the shade. They move down the checklist of vaccines, monitoring respiration and temperature every few minutes to insure the animal's well being. Besides blunting the ends of her horns, she gets a hoof trim and blood is drawn for a panel of tests.

 

Besides her vaccines and annual physical, this nanny also received a reversible contraceptive that will last two to three years. In the summer of 2006, Northwest Trek's animal management team determined that we had reached the land's carrying capacity for mountain goats. Since there are not enough other accredited zoos exhibiting the species seeking to acquire our kids just now, it was decided to prevent births for the spring of 2007 and 2008.