Quadruple offspring of rare domestic animal breed
Erzgebirge goats at Chemnitz Zoo with four young animals
The Erzgebirge goats at Chemnitz Zoo had several offspring in mid-May. Two mothers gave birth to a total of four young animals - two bucks and two kids - on the zoo's Erzgebirge farm. Two more goats are expected to give birth. As a rule, one to two young animals are born from one mother.
Many German domestic and farm animal breeds are now threatened with extinction as they no longer meet the demands of high-performance farming. Some breeds produce more meat or milk than others or lay more eggs per year. The less productive breeds are no longer needed.
For this reason, many zoological institutions have rethought the composition of their pet stock in recent years. They mainly show breeds from Germany that are threatened with extinction and represent an old cultural asset.
Chemnitz Zoo has partly specialised in Saxon cultural heritage, including the Erzgebirge goat. This breed has been kept since 2018 and there have been regular offspring so far.
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; at Chemnitz Zoo, all animals 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.
At Chemnitz Zoo, the Erzgebirge goats can not only be seen in the petting enclosure, they are also used to maintain the landscape in individual areas of the zoo.
Opening hours in summer:
| Chemnitz Zoo: | 9 am to 7 pm, last admission 6 pm |
| Game enclosure: | 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., last admission 5 p.m. |