African Pygmy Goat

African Pygmy Goat at Wingham Wildlife Park

African Pygmy Goat Natural History

Size

The height of the African Pygmy Goat breed varies from 16 inches to 23 inches, with females often being slightly smaller than males.

Habitat and Distribution

This is a domesticated goat breed which does not have a natural range, however their origin stems from the Cameroon Valley of West Africa.

Age

The African Pygmy Goat generally has a life span of between 10 and 15 years.

Threats

This goat species does not face any specific threats in the wild and has no IUCN rating as it is a domesticated breed which cannot be found in the wild.

Diet

This is a grazing animal which uses grass and other ground plants to make up the majority of its diet. However, it must also include dried foods such as hay and a variety of seeds and grains.

Groups and Breeding

African Pygmy Goats can be encouraged to breed all year round but will generally only give birth to a single young. However, it is not uncommon for more young to be born from a single female.

The Goats During Your Day Out in Kent

At Wingham Wildlife Park we have a small African Pygmy Goat group which live next to our Parma Wallabies. Their names are Irene, Eileen, Sal, Mavis, Florence, Valerie and Doreen.

Their enclosure allows visitors to get really close to a naturally friendly species which you can stroke and hand feed using food available to buy at the park.  Their diet at our park is mainly made up of fresh vegetables, hay and specially formulated dry biscuits.

The more you know…

Want to know more about this animal? Check out our keeper blogs about them here.

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