Chemnitz Zoo: Six offspring of a rare domestic animal breed
Just in time for the start of spring, the Erzgebirge goats have had several offspring. A total of six young animals - five bucks and one doe - from a total of four mothers are now romping around the zoo's farm in the Ore Mountains. As a rule, one or two young animals are born.
Erzgebirge goats have been kept at Chemnitz Zoo since 2018 and last year saw the first offspring. A rich brown coat with a black eel line and black boots are among the most important breed characteristics. There are both horned and hornless Erzgebirge goats. All animals in the zoo are horned.
The goats from the Ore Mountains are characterised by high fertility, early maturity, frugal feeding and resistance to disease. They are considered undemanding and friendly to handle, which is why they can easily be kept in a petting enclosure despite their size.
In the zoo, however, the Erzgebirge goats are not only to be seen in the petting enclosure, they are also used to maintain the landscape and prevent overgrowth in individual areas of the zoo by browsing.
Many German domestic and farm animal breeds are now threatened with extinction as they no longer meet the demands of high-performance farming. Breeds that produce more meat or milk than others or lay more eggs per year are displacing the less productive breeds, as these are no longer needed.
For this reason, many zoological facilities have rethought the composition of their pet stock in recent years. Here, mainly breeds from Germany are shown that are threatened with extinction and represent an old cultural asset. In this respect, Chemnitz Zoo has specialised a little in Saxon cultural heritage, which includes the Ore Mountain goat.
Although the Erzgebirge farm and the adjacent petting enclosure are currently not open to visitors, the young animals can be seen in the outdoor enclosure in good weather.
Opening hours in April:
Zoo: 9 am to 7 pm, last admission 6 pm
Game enclosure: 8 am to 6 pm, last admission 5 pm
( Registration is currently required.)