A British duke sent six Himalayan tahr to New Zealand in 1904; five survived the voyage, and their descendants later grew into tens of thousands that now damage fragile alpine ecosystems

In 1904, a gift from a British aristocrat brought a handful of shaggy mountain goats to the remote peaks of New Zealand’s South Island. The aim was to build up big game stocks for visiting sport hunters. But those few animals started an environmental problem that still worries conservationists and land managers today. The animal at the centre of the issue is the Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), a strong mountain animal native to the highlands of Asia. In its native range, the species is listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). But across New Zealand’s Southern Alps, thousands of miles away, the tahr has multiplied so successfully that it is now treated as an invasive pest.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!