Mountain Goats of Olympic National Park 2016

Mountain Goats on Hurricane Hill in Olympic National Park

An Example of what you DON'T do when you stumble across wild animals.
At the top of Hurricane Hill in Olympic National Park, this Nannie goat and her young kid were meandering and grazing. When the couple in the photo spotted the pair, they ran up towards the goats for a closeup using their i-Phones. Luckily, the mama goat was used to human behavior and was not aggressive.

The couple in the photo were lucky in my opinion.....the horns of a mountain goat are razor sharp and have been known to impale whatever gets in their way. This type of interaction is unsafe, not only for the humans, but also for the animals.

If wildlife injure or kill someone, they are then either put on a watch list for additional aggressive behavior, relocated, or killed. Just because one can get close to wild animals in a state or national park, does not mean they are tame. Please protect yourself and the animals.

I shot this photo with a long telephoto lens giving the mama and baby plenty of space with no pressure.
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Mountain Nannie grazing.
She paid us no mind as she went along her predetermined path.
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Mountain goat kid trailing behind his mama.
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I didn't know they ate Christmas trees!
It's true I guess, goats, mountain goats included, will eat anything.
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Oh the bane of biting flies!
The flies were merciless..no wonder they have such thick coats even in the summer.
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Rock climbing comes natural to these babies.
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This baby appears to be smiling at the tender white flower he is about to eat.
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Always behind, the young kid steps up his pace to be with mama.
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Portrait of a Nannie goat.
She seemed to be posing for the camera.
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Photography of Julie Picardi

Mountain Goats of Olympic National Park 2016