Teton goat shoot a physical challenge but success reported

Jacob Glissmeyer, right, of Hoback, Wyo., searches for mountain goats high in the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., in September, 2020. The National Park Service allowed qualified volunteers to help cull the non-native mountain goat population, which is threatening the survival of a dwindling population of bighorn sheep. (Ryan Dorgan/Jackson Hole News & Guide via AP)

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — Groups of hunters report success killing nonnative mountain goats in western Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. They killed 16 goats during the first three weeks of a nine-week effort to eradicate the 100 or so goats using shooters from the ground. A previous effort last winter to shoot mountain goats from a helicopter was called off after a few days, when Gov. Mark Gordon and other Wyoming officials objected to the aerial gunning. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports park officials want to eradicate the nonnative mountain goats because they compete with bighorn sheep for habitat and can spread diseases to the native sheep.