Mountain goats escape from safari in search of partners
Two ibexes flee safari, go on a Friday stroll in Givatayim. Safari spokeswoman: Ibexes’ mating season is upon us, young males escape in order to ‘try their luck’ outside
Two ibexes escaped the Safari in Ramat Gan on Friday morning and started wandering freely, near the nearby city of Givatayim. One of them was caught and the other one has yet to be found.
“At 8:30 am I saw two mountain goats in the Ramat Chen neighborhood,” said Yoav, a Givatayim resident. “I saw one mountain goat for a second and it escaped and the second one entered a yard on Hagai Street. I called the police and the mountain goat started jumping over a 2 meter (approximately 6.5 foot) fence.
“The veterinarian did not succeed in anaesthetizing it, we chase it by car for two hours inside Ramat Gan with the police and the safari workers and finally a passerby caught it.
“We all jumped on it and the veterinarian anesthetized it and took it back to the safari. I hope everything is ok with it.”
Ten-year-old Ido assisted the professionals in finding the ibex. “I went to go meet my family at a coffee shop and on my way I saw a mountain goat and I thought, 'I wonder why it’s here, did they bring it for some activity,'" he said.
“So I got to the coffee shop and I told everyone that we had a mountain goat in our yard. Suddenly, I saw a safari vehicle and I understood that the mountain goat escaped and they came to return him.
“Later, we directed them to the yard and on their way back, they passed by with the tied mountain goat and drove in the direction of the safari,” said Ido.
Mountain goat at a Givatayim construction site (photo courtesy of the Safari)
Tzila, who also sat at the coffee shop, watched in astonishment. “Suddenly a lot of police cars arrived. They were led by a boy who was yelling, saying he saw a mountain goat in the nearby park. The mountain goat was very big, with big antlers and everything.”
Trying their luck
Safari spokeswoman Sagit Horowitz explained that the ibexes escaped simply in search of some romance. “The ibexes’ mating season is upon us and the young males jump out and escape in order to ‘try their luck’ outside,” she said.
“A little bit before the mating season arrives, we transfer the young ibexes to another area in the safari where they aren’t with the rest, preventing their escape. We are presently a month before the mating season and this is quite early. This is why we weren’t prepared.
“They took advantage of the fact that the gate was open when the workers arrived this morning, and they ran fast and escaped through the gate. One of them was caught in south Givatayim and the second one is still wandering outside,” explained Horowitz.
Yigal Horowitz, the safari’s veterinarian, explained that the heavy heat made the mountain goats uneasy. “The mating season is not at its height, but we are at an early start. The weather most likely caused changes in their hormonal condition.”
Horowitz added that the mountain goat was not harmed. “The moment the mountain goat arrived at the safari, I woke it up, I injected it with a substance that removes the anesthesia’s effects and it awoke.
“Within a few minutes it stood on its feet and is presently in isolation.”
