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San Clemente Island goats lived in a feral state on San Clemente Island for a century. Their survival depended on natural selection with no human intervention, and it resulted in the breed we know today. San Clemente Island goats are small, which is typical of island-selected animals. They are also extremely hardy. One might guess that their years of isolation would make them less resistant to disease. Indeed, some goats could not survive relocation to the mainland. Those that did were the hardiest, and that's the breeding stock we have today.
Some San Clemente Island goat owners are fortunate enough to be able to let their goats run free on hundreds of acres. In this state, the goats receive no special care, and the natural selection process continues.
Keeping feral goats does involve a certain amount of management. Your land must contain the terrain necessary to raise healthy goats—ample food, clean water with unadulterated sources, and soil that can support the nutritive needs of your goats. Bring in the local extension office to do soil samples. Check the land for sheltered areas (goats had caves on San Clemente Island) and be aware of local predators. Your San Clemente Island goats in a feral situation should appear very well-fed, have glossy coats, naturally short hooves, and should usually produce twins. On San Clemente Island, when most of the goats had been exterminated and there was abundant space and food for the rest, birth rates were 50% twins, 40% single births, and 10% triplets. Mainland San Clemente Island goats may also be exposed to pathogens of types and levels that do not mirror the island conditions. The hardiness of the goats is very apparent in most situations, but the enviroment on your land may be different than the enviroment they were bred to endure—keep a tight eye on what's happening with your herd until it's very well established.
There are some semi-feral Spanish goats in the United States. To read about the different ways this can be done, please visit the Spanish goats' bloodlines page.
We would like to hear from those of you who have feral San Clemente Island goats—we are interested in your observations of their behaviour, health, lifespan, and herd dynamics in a feral setting. Of course, their histories, origins, and photos would be great, too.
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