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Why Goats Matter: They're Intelligent, Emotional, and Unique
They are curious and gentle beings with unique personalities.
Posted October 12, 2020 Reviewed by Lybi Ma
I recently read an excellent book by goat and sheep expert, Sue Weaver, called The Goat: A Natural and Cultural History. I've always enjoyed watching goats and was pleased to see a comprehensive work devoted to these smart, curious, gentle, independent, and social animals, who also are full of character and display unique personalities.1 Here's what Sue had to say about her recent book.
Why did you write The Goat: A Natural and Cultural History?
I’d already authored three goat books for other publishers when Ivy Press contacted me about writing The Goat. I already had copies of The Dog and The Horse on my bookshelves, so I was familiar with the series and knew that writing The Goat would be, for me, a dream come true.
How does your book relate to your background and general areas of interest?
We’ve had goats for 19 years. At first, we bred the highest-quality, registered Boer goats but as ethical vegetarians, we soon realized that selling kids that could ultimately end up on someone’s dining table was not for us. Our Boer does become expensive pasture ornaments. Then we began collecting goats that needed good homes.
History is another of my passions. I’d researched goat domestication and the fascinating role of goats’ interactions with mankind for another of my books, The Backyard Goat, but that merely whet my appetite. The Goat gave me an opportunity to dig in and do some in-depth research.
Who is your intended audience?
I think anyone who appreciates goats will love this comprehensive, beautifully illustrated book.
What are some of the topics you weave into your book and what are some of your major messages?
The story of the goat begins as I take a look at how goats traveled the road from prehistoric beast to man’s four-legged helper. I consider true wild goats, among them Capra aegagrus, first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent 10,000 years ago and ancestor to today’s goats worldwide, and why it was relatively easy to bring him in from the wild. I also see how goats spread quickly around the globe in the company of Neolithic herders and later, colonists, seafaring traders, and explorers, sometimes escaping their handlers and returning to the wild as feral goats.
I also address biology and anatomy by surveying their bones, their organs, their hooves, their splendid horns, and each of the goat’s five senses. I lightly touch on genetics, on dwarfism, and what makes some goats ‘faint’ and also examine a wide array of colors and markings before taking a peek at the differences between goats and their cousins, the sheep.
Next, I discuss goat society and behavior and what makes goats tick. We see how they interact with one another and establish a hierarchy, and why this is important to goats. I consider courtship, when and how they breed, how they choose their mates, and how their early lives unfold and how kids play and mature. Goats are very smart and I show you why we know it’s so.
It's important to know how to properly care for goats that involve trimming their hooves, attending them as they give birth, and addressing common health issues. I consider the hows and whys of handling and training them, and how to troubleshoot behavior quirks.
Along the way, I also consider how goats once posed with children in vintage photos and hauled the wagons of eccentric ‘goat men’ in the early 20th century. Goats abound in world myth and take a peek at some of them: the goats who pulled Thor’s chariot, the Yule goat, and goat deities like the Basque goddess Mari and Chemobog the Western Slavic god of the dead, British and European goat fairies, and the half-goat gods Pan and Faunus.
I also consider goats raised to become religious sacrifices, past and present, and military mascot goats as well. I also discuss goats and musical instruments ranging from drums to bagpipes, horns, stringed instruments, and beyond.
You may never look at goats the same way again.
How does your book differ from others that are concerned with some of the same general topics?
Surprisingly, there are only two other somewhat similar books in print. The others are Goat by Joy Hinson. Dr. C. Naaktgeboren’s The Mysterious Goat; Images and Impressions. The former is a wonderful little book in Reakton Press’s Animal Series, the latter is a beautiful and lavish limited edition produced in The Netherlands. I recommend both.
Are you hopeful that things will change for the better as people learn more about the cognitive and emotional lives of goats?
Yes, absolutely. Goats are such intelligent animals, and when handled compassionately, affectionate and trusting. I hope my enthusiasm shines through.
References
Notes
1) More about Sue Weaver: "I've been working as a freelance writer since 1969, when I sold my first article to The Western Horseman magazine. Horse-crazed from the cradle, I initially specialized in writing about horses and sold hundreds of articles to dozens of equine publications until switching to small farm topics in the spring of 2000. Along the way my husband and I moved to the southern Ozarks and began raising Miniature Cheviot sheep. Then I was given a fair of newborn Boer goat kids. Thus my love affair with goats began. Since then I’ve specialized in writing for publications associated with Hobby Farms magazine and in writing non-fiction books about animals. Various publishers have published 13 to date, along with a 14th that includes a great deal of my material. Themes include donkeys, camelids, chickens, cows, pigs, and of course, sheep and goats.We no longer breed animals but still maintain a large menagerie of livestock pets, many of whom are elderly and/or rescues, including 34 goats.
Bekoff, Marc. The Rich Emotional Lives of Chimpanzees and Goats.
_____. Why Sheep Matter: They're Intelligent, Emotional, and Unique.
Baciadonna, Luigi et al. Goats distinguish between positive and negative emotion-linked vocalizations. Frontiers in Zoology, 2019.
