Goats and Sheep

Animal Spotlight

January 2003

"I am nature's child. I trust and am rewarded by trust. Fortune smiles upon my countenance. All things blossom In the gentleness of my love. I strive to find beauty in all I behold. I am fair of face And full of grace. I am the Sheep."

- Twilight Zone's Chinese Horoscope

To celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Goat, the NSVRs have put up 3 posters in place of the existing cat posters at the Rangers' Station to share some valuable knowledge of the Goat and Sheep. The following are the contents of those posters.

Origin of Domestic Goats & Sheep

An important turning point of man’s history was the change from being a hunter-gatherer to that of farmer….and that was how it all started.

Goats were likely the first animals that man domesticated. This happened in Iran about 10,000 years ago.

When these people migrated to other continents, they moved their goats with them. This was the beginning of introduction of goats outside the animals’ natural range. Improved management and the spread of agricultural techniques offered a stable food supply to early civilization. This allowed the human population to expand into new areas and grow in size.

Sheep probably originated in Asia and the first places of domestication were in central and western Asia. Our domestic sheep came from several sources. The wool breeds were believed to have spread from Asia Minor through Greece and into Europe. The foundation stock for our mutton breeds could have come from the wild sheep of Western Europe, the ones domesticated by the Nordic tribes.

Sheep were also domesticated about 10,000 years back. They were selectively bred to become more docile and adaptable than the wild sheep to fit man’s needs. After domestication, the flocks spread across many continents and developed into various breeds. They are found from cold continental areas, in dry deserts, and right through to the tropics!

Goat and Sheep products include:

Meat – mutton, Wool – (sheep) clothing, Skins – clothing, footwear and saddles, Milk – cheese, Offal – wide range of products and pharmaceuticals

Goats

Sheep

60 chromosomes

Presence of beard

Presence of face and *caudal glands

Absence of foot glands

Tail held up

54 chromosomes

Absence of beard

Absence of face and *caudal glands

Presence of foot glands

Tail hanging down

*Caudal Gland is a scent gland located at the base of the tail. It is not the same as the Anal Gland which is located outside the opening of the anus.

Let's meet the wild goats and sheep of Night Safari !