MOUNT TIMPANOGOS, Utah, Aug. 23, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — After the most recent attack, officials are warning pet owners of mountain goats mixing fatally with dogs.
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Saturday marked the third dog killed in as many weeks by mountain goats on Mt. Timpanogos, the Timpanogos Emergency Response Team warned on social media. “These incidents are tragic and we’d like to remind you of rules and etiquette to keep all of the animals safe.
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“In the case of the incident this weekend, the dog was off leash and harassed a mother goat with babies, leading to the mother goat pushing the dog off of a cliff,” according to the team’s Sunday press release. The two prior incidents involved dogs fatally gored in confrontations with the horned ungulates.
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“On the mountain, goats and wildlife have the right of way. We are guests in their space. The mountain goats on Timp are usually very mellow and will walk fairly close to people. Please keep your distance, even if it means delays on your hike.”
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The team, a volunteer organization of EMTs, climbers, radio techs and others organized in 1983 to assist hikers and climbers on Timpanogos, said it is the responsibility of dog owners to keep their animals under control at all times. “Allowing your dogs to chase goats carries fines akin to poaching.” The team has been joined by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office in media accounts of the goat-dog encounters,urging caution.
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The team’s social media alert include a photo of Ruby, a dog who survived a 2021 encounter with a Timpanogos goat. “Ruby the dog rounded a corner of the Emerald Lake shelter at the same moment a goat appeared from the other side. She tried to run, but the goat ran her down and threw her in the air. She sustained puncture wounds in her hip, but with veterinary care, fully recovered.
