The Mass Death of Mountain Goats Stopped... Recovery to Normal Levels

The Ministry of Environment and the Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 10th that the number of mountain goats that died (perished) last winter (from November last year to March this year) was confirmed to be thirty-one. Compared to the previous winter (November 2023 to March 2024, 785 individuals), when a mass death incident occurred, this is about 1/25th in scale, returning to normal levels. The number of mountain goats reported dead in past winters were thirty-one in 2019?2020, twenty-one in 2020?2021, twenty-five in 2021?2022, and twenty-seven in 2022?2023.

Mountain goats using the feeding platform and resting area
[Photo by National Heritage Agency]

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Mountain goats are natural monuments and classified as Grade 1 endangered wild species. They are also listed as internationally endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The causes of the mass deaths last winter include the long-lasting snow accumulation in their main habitat in the Gangwon mountain region and fences installed to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). When the ground is covered with snow, herbivores like mountain goats find it difficult to feed on grass. The fences also block movement, affecting their normal habitat activities.

To prevent a sharp decline, the Ministry of Environment and the Cultural Heritage Administration implemented various measures in October last year. They established eighty feeding stations and twenty-two resting areas in the main habitat of the mountain goats and supplied about 22,000 tons of feed. Additionally, special patrol teams were deployed in the Inje, Goseong, and Sokcho areas, conducting an average of 160 patrols per month. Forty-four ASF barrier fences were opened to allow free movement.

The Ministry of Environment is also investigating whether the sharp decrease in deaths last winter is related to the mass deaths in the previous winter through density surveys. The density of mountain goats surveyed at three locations in Seoraksan in 2023 was 2.75 individuals per 1 km². If the ongoing survey finds a lower density than this, it would support the claim that the number of mountain goats has decreased and that the number of deaths last winter has declined.

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