English: Wild Goat; French: Chèvre à bézoard; Baluchi: Sair, Phashin, Pachin; Brahui: Chank; Czech: koza bezoárová; Greek: Egagros, Agrimi; Iranian: Kal, Takeh, Pasang; Pashto: Ghavza, Borz; Russian: Borodatsh, Turkmensski Borodatij Koset; Sindi: Ter, Sarah; Slovakian: koza bezoárová; Turkish: Dag keçisi, Yaban keçisi, kirmizi, Kizil keçcisi; Urdu: Kail.
Former distribution: As now.
Present distribution: Western Crete, Sapietza Island on the western Peloponese, Yioura Island (Sporades), Antimilos (Cyclades) Island; southern and eastern Turkey, north-eastern Caucasus; USSR: Armenia, Georgia, southern Turkmeniya, Afghanistan east to south-western Pakistan. Introduced into CSSR, and USA, New Mexico.
Behaviour: See Spanischer Steinbock
Population status: Endangered on Crete and Theodorou, 90. Rare on Yioura: 600-800; Antimylos: 1200; stable in Iran: 10 000; Afghanistan: no records; Pakistan: 400-500; USSR: several thousands; CSSR: 40.
Brief notes:
Body weight: 35-90 kg
Head and body length: 120-160 cm
Tail length: 15 cm
Shoulder height: 70-100 cm
Gestation period: 21-22 weeks
Maximum age: 12-15 years
Trophy: Record SCI: 128 4/8 score, 1978, Iran, RASHID JAMSHEED; average 70 score. RW’s: 59 3/4″, 1977, Iran, H.I.H. PRINCE ABDORREZA; average 30″. CIC: 446.10 points, 1921 USSR, n.n.; average 340 points.
Hunting methods: Stalking, with beaters.
Subspecies: 3. Their validity is still uncertain; insufficient research has been carried out to clarify the taxonomic situation of Capra aegagrus. The author therefore lists only 3 subspecies.
1. European Wild Goat Capra ae. aegagrus Turkey, Iran, Iraq. Stable. Rare in Iraq.
2. Crete Wild Goat Capra ae. cretica Crete. Endangered. Trophy: No records.
3. Turkmeniya Wild Goat Capra ae. turcmenica Afghanistan, Pakistan; USSR Turkmeniya. Rare. Trophy: Record SCI: 121 score, RASHID JAMSHEED. RW’s: 52 3/8″, 1902 Pakistan, British Museum.
Remarks: Nearly all Wild Goats from the Greek Islands, except Capra ae. cretica, are interbred with domestic goats; the same is true of the population in the CSSR (Pavlava, near Mikulov). By 10 000 B.C. these goats were already domesticated in central Asia; the ancestor was the Wild Goat, Capra aegagrus. Predators include wolves and eagles.
