Our annual goat round-up on Ventnor Downs

Several wild goats running down a hill on Ventnor Down in autumn — Feral goats running on Ventnor Down

A goat kid at the base of a rangers feet in the pen on Ventnor Downs — A goat kid ready for its health check

A line of people on a hill in the rain, waiting to round up feral goats — Intrepid volunteers form a human chain in the rain and wind

Autumn colours on the side of Ventnor Down — A very steep path leads directly up to the top Ventnor Downs from the old station

Just like our goats, you have to be hardy to join the annual goat round-up here on Ventnor Downs. This autumnal Isle of Wight challenge, that last year took place on Thursday 17 October, sees National Trust rangers and volunteers fighting their way through ten foot high gorse, bracken and bramble bushes to give our goats their annual health check.

To ensure the safety of our volunteers and staff, we will not be holding this event this year (2020)

Last autumn, in the pouring rain, our brave team of over 100 volunteers and staff suceeded in rounding up 48 rather smelly goats, including 14 kids, for their health inspection - an important conservation task in our seasonal calendar. We even managed to find nine goats that eluded us last year.

Helping nature naturally

Every year, our Old English feral goats are guided into temporary pens on Ventnor Downs for their health check. We look at their teeth, give their hooves a clip, treat any health problems and catalogue them. We also tag and record any new kids (baby goats), then release the herd back on to the downs.

Feral goats wait in a pen to have their annual health check — Ventnor Downs goats in a pen waiting for their annual health check

The goats preserve the special chalk grassland on Ventnor Downs. They’ve been here since 1993, acting as a natural control of the regrowth and spread of scrub and trees, especially holm oaks. These trees were introduced several centuries ago from the Mediterranean but they threaten the native downland habitat, smothering yellow horseshoe vetch - the main foodplant for Adonis blue butterfly caterpillars.

As well as providing food for the goats, the oaks also give them shelter. In turn, the animals maintain a healthy balance of grassland, scrub and trees on the downs, and help to conserve this rare habitat.

Feral goats having its hooves clipped to keep them healthy — Feral goats on Ventnor Downs have their hooves inspected annually

Extra volunteers

The goats are very elusive, so it takes a big team of volunteers and staff to walk across the downs in a chain, flushing them out from trees and scrub, towards a pen. Last year we had over 70 volunteers, as well as National Trust staff from the mainland. Despite valiant efforts by the team, including crawling on hands and knees through bramble bushes, some of the goats still managed to evade us.

Staff and volunteers walking the the scrub to round up the goats on Ventnor Downs — Staff and volunteers hunting for goats

Helping to protect our places

So why do so many people want to help on a potentially wet and windy day in autumn? Well for some it's the adrenalin driven thrill of the chase, and plenty of exercise in the fresh morning air. But for all involved, it offers the chance to participate in essential conservation work, as part of a wider team, to preserve this beautiful environment. And of course, at the end of it all, you finally get to see those wily goats…….. and eat lots of well-earned, cake.

A sunny view from Ventnor Downs looking down through Coombe Bottom to the sea — Coombe Bottom at Ventnor bathed in winter sun

" As a family we wanted to get involved with a conservation charity and gain some new skills. The goat round-up has been perfect for that, and it's been really good fun too."