Meinerz, Sogndal | Norway lacks regulation of feral livestock

In Norwegian laws and regulations, there are rules for wild animals, which we call game. And there are rules for domestic animals, which they call pets. But (apparently) there are no rules for what we call feral animals, which are farm animals that have settled on the open farm, strays, in other words.

But the problem is not known now. The mink came to the country as a pet, but some animals escaped and established viable populations in the open. The mink is defined as a game. It should also be said that it was somewhat domesticated when it established itself in the wild, so it is not wrong in that sense.

The animal that is most commonly herded locally is the domestic reindeer. In practice, there is a fluid boundary between domesticated reindeer and wild reindeer. In some places, domesticated reindeer are released and are then called wild reindeer. They are then defined as wild.

But authorities believe goats can never become wild, even if they live in the open like other wild animals. Here either there is an error in the interpretation of the law or regulations.

It is fair to say that domesticated goats are more domesticated than domestic reindeer, for example in the way they are adapted to standing in pens. But domestic goats still have many natural instincts to graze outside and take advantage of the landscape. Therefore, goats have shown several times that they are capable of establishing wild populations in Norway.

Feral – stray and domesticated animals are known in several places in Europe. Ways have been found to deal with them legally that take into account their intermediate position between wild and domesticated animals. This is what I need in this country as well. The problem of goats in Kvist is primarily a problem of legal definition, and it is up to the government to establish relevant regulations that correspond to the actual situation.