| During the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries sea traveling | | | | Two of the meat goat breeds found in the United |
| explorers and merchants deliberately released goats | | | | States (San Clemente Island goats and Arapawa |
| and hogs on off shore islands along their routes to | | | | goats) are feral breeds. All of the other breeds |
| establish feral populations that could be used as | | | | (except Pygmy) are composite breeds developed by |
| sources of fresh meat on future trips. These animals | | | | crossing several breeds of goats. The San Clemente |
| thrived on these islands because the islands did not | | | | Island goats and Arapawa goats will play a very |
| have predators. | | | | important role in developing new composite meat |
| Trying to develop a meat goat adapted to the | | | | goat breeds in the United States. DNA testing of |
| warm, humid climate of New Zealand, Garrick Batten | | | | these breeds done by Amparo Martinez Martinez and |
| developed the Kiko breed by crossing feral goats | | | | Juan Vicente Delgado Bermejo at the University of |
| found in New Zealand, with dairy goats (Toggenberg, | | | | Cordoba in Spain in 2007 and reported by Dr. D. Phillip |
| Saanen, Nubian, and Alpine.) He began selecting feral | | | | Sponenberg shows that these two breeds are highly |
| goats from all districts of New Zealand. He selected | | | | inbred and are not related to each other or to |
| for rapid growth, hardiness under range conditions, | | | | Spanish goats found in the United States or to |
| resistance to hoof rot, and resistance to internal | | | | Saanens, Alpines, Nubians, Boers, to ten breeds of |
| parasites. He worked with a herd of about 1,000 | | | | goats found in Spain or to breeds of goats found in |
| head from 1978 till the early 1990's. The herd was | | | | Cuba, Brazil, and Bolivia. The Spanish goats in the |
| reduced to about 50 head by 1994. In 1994 the | | | | United States were found to be related to the |
| entire herd along with the GOATEX Group Ltd. | | | | breeds of goats found in Spain and Latin America. |
| shares were sold to new shareholders who exported | | | | Additional testing done at Cordoba in 2009 showed |
| most of the animals to the United States. The Kiko | | | | the San Clemente Island and Arapawa goats to be |
| breed is very popular in the southeastern United | | | | unrelated to feral Rawhiti goats from North Island, |
| States where warm humid weather makes it difficult | | | | New Zealand, feral goats from Galapagos Island, Old |
| to raise meat goats because of internal parasites, but | | | | English Milche goats, Golden Guernsey goats, and |
| Kikos are still scarce and very expensive. | | | | Damascus goats ( |
| The feral goats of New Zealand were descendants | | | | The American Livestock Breeds Conservatory has |
| of Old English Milche goats brought to New Zealand | | | | recently begun efforts to rescue a herd of about 30 |
| by Captain James Cook. The same breed of to goats | | | | head of feral Spanish goats on a costal island near |
| was brought to James Town, Virginia, and Plymouth, | | | | Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. They will remove |
| Massachusetts, by early English settlers and later into | | | | selected animals from the herd and place them in |
| Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri by early | | | | conservation breeding herds to protect them from |
| settlers from the eastern United States. The breeds | | | | predators and increase their numbers. Two pregnant |
| of dairy goats brought into Northern Arkansas and | | | | does, one buck kid and one doe kid have already |
| Southern Missouri in later years are the same ones | | | | been moved to Brook Green Gardens, south of |
| used to develop the Kiko breed. These breeds are | | | | Murrells Inlet. DNA samples, for further testing, have |
| the ancestors of brush goats in northern Arkansas | | | | been taken from these animals under Dr. D. Phillip |
| that are used by cattle ranchers to control weeds | | | | Sponenberg's supervision. These goats will contribute |
| and brush in pastures. These brush goats are treated | | | | valuable genetics to our meat goat population in |
| like feral goats except guardian animals are used to | | | | future years. More details of this rescue can be |
| protect them from predators. They are equal to | | | | found at |
| Kikos for hardiness, mothering ability, and resistance | | | | Hardiness, fertility, mothering ability, and resistance to |
| to internal parasites, and they are inexpensive. | | | | internal parasites are the most important traits for |
| Crossing these brush goats with Kiko bucks might | | | | making a profit raising meat goats. Feral goats will |
| even produce meat goats that are better than either | | | | play a very important role in improving these traits |
| breed because of hybrid vigor. | | | | for US producers. |