DENVER — The National Park Service is drafting plans to remove or restrict Rocky Mountain goats from Dinosaur National Monument in northwest Colorado.
Officials say the invasive goats have been spotted in and around the park in the past several years and that they pose a risk to sensitive plant and animal species.
The park service says that mountain goats were purposefully introduced into previously unoccupied mountain ranges for hunting and general recreation.
While native to the northern Rockies, the goats can spread pneumonia and Johne's disease to other species, including bighorn sheep, deer, pronghorn and elk.
The Park Service says the mountain goat dispersal and range expansion have created concerns for the National Park Service at Olympic, Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National parks.
