Understanding Bear Diets and Goat Predation
While bears do not primarily subsist on goats, they are opportunistic foragers that can prey on livestock. As omnivores, their diet shifts based on environmental availability, allowing them to exploit easy food sources. Goats, being vulnerable, can become targets.
American black bears (Ursus americanus) are highly adaptable, with a diet largely plant-based, often 80% to 90% of their intake. They consume berries, fruits, nuts, grasses, and insects. They also opportunistically prey on young elk and deer, scavenge carcasses, and occasionally consume fish. Black bears have killed domestic goats, particularly if the goats are sick or young.
Brown bears (Ursus arctos), including grizzlies, also have a diet primarily of plant material, sometimes up to 90%, including berries, roots, grasses, and nuts. Despite their formidable size, brown bears are efficient predators, hunting ungulates like deer, moose, and caribou, especially vulnerable calves. They are known to prey on mountain goats.
Predation on livestock by bears is generally a small percentage of overall losses, but it can be significant locally. Bears are more likely to prey on livestock like goats when natural food sources are scarce, during periods of increased appetite (such as late summer before hibernation), or when animals are untended. Goats, being smaller and less defensive than larger livestock, are particularly vulnerable.
Protecting Goats from Bears
Protecting goats from bears involves preventative measures that reduce attractants and create barriers. Securing pens and enclosures is a primary step; robust, regularly maintained fences deter bears. Electric fencing is an effective method to increase security, as a well-maintained and properly grounded fence can keep bears away. Consistent maintenance of deterrents is important to prevent bears from learning to bypass them.
Proper waste management is important to prevent attracting bears. Remove potential food sources like pet food, fallen fruit, or unsecured garbage to prevent bears from associating your property with easy meals. Creating a buffer zone between attractants and bear travel areas can also reduce encounters. Bringing smaller livestock inside at night is also effective, as most bear attacks occur during nighttime hours.
Introducing guardian animals, such as certain dog breeds (like Great Pyrenees), donkeys, or llamas, can provide an additional layer of defense by deterring bears and other predators. These animals can alert owners to a bear’s presence and may actively confront the threat. If an attack occurs, signs of bear involvement include specific bite marks, such as puncture wounds on the spine or skull, and lacerations from claws. Bears often attack from the top, may consume stomach contents, and might drag the carcass to feed in cover.