Why authorities in Okinawa are trying to capture feral goats

Japan Times

28-07-2025

Feral goats in the village of Higashi's Takae district in northern Okinawa Prefecture were designated by the Okinawa Prefectural Government in 2023 as an invasive species that urgently needs to be controlled.
Wild goats are causing damage to crops in the village, as well as on Iriomote Island, and there are concerns that they could negatively impact the forest ecosystems harboring rare animals and plants.
The village and prefectural authorities are working to catch the goats and prevent the spread of the invasive species.
Wild goats have so far been spotted in the Yanbaru region — the northern area of Okinawa's main island — and on remote islands in the prefecture.
They are highly reproductive, and the village began to consider them as a problem around 2019.
Since the goats are of West Asian origin, it is highly likely that they were initially brought in as livestock and then became feral.
Akira Nishime, 71, a grass farmer in Takae, has been troubled by crop damage by wild goats for years.
Nishime first observed wild goats on his grassland around 2008. He said he was surprised to see roughly 20 goats climbing up a cliff rising about 100 meters from the shoreline.
Because they are cautious and avoid coming close to humans, they have never attacked him, but since then, they have been seen between February and May every year up to and including last year.
It is not clear exactly how much damage has been done to his crops, because grass grows again after it is eaten.
Still, 'it is annoying, considering each goat eats about 7 to 8 kilograms of grass a day and 20 to 30 of them come to my grassland every season,' he said.
In fiscal 2023, about five flocks of 20 to 30 wild goats were spotted in the village, and it was estimated that some 100 goats inhabit the area.
The village government set about taking measures to prevent crop damage, treating wild goats as harmful wildlife.
A team of hunters, working on wildlife damage control, which has been capturing wild boars and crows, began catching wild goats throughout the year.
In the same fiscal year, the prefectural government also started conducting regular patrols and captures in Higashi, as well as in the village of Kunigami in northern Okinawa Prefecture and on Iriomote Island, to protect vegetation and endemic species from being trampled by wild goats.
In fiscal 2023, village authorities captured 17 wild goats and prefectural officials caught 19 in Takae.
In fiscal 2024, as the number of goats in the district decreased, village officials did not capture any, while prefectural officials caught 19.
According to the prefectural government, at least 12 goats currently live in Takae.
While the number of wild goats in Takae has declined due to the measures, authorities plan to continue seizing the animals.
They are also taking measures to encourage proper goat-raising in order to prevent more feral animals.
The town of Taketomi, which has jurisdiction over Iriomote Island, which has a huge wild goat population, began enforcing an ordinance on April 1 on responsible goat handling and management.
The ordinance sets rules including requiring that goats have collars and ear tags, prohibiting owners from unleashing them and making it mandatory to report to authorities in the event one runs away.
Violators of the rules are subject to warnings, admonition and penalty fees.
There have also been cases of goats running away in Higashi. 'We plan to consider measures to promote proper goat handling and also discuss the need to create an ordinance,' an official from the village said.
Okinawa Prefecture is soliciting witness reports of invasive species, including wild goats, on its website.
This section features topics and issues from Okinawa covered by The Okinawa Times, a major newspaper in the prefecture. The original article was published June 5.