Pygmy Cameroon Goat

Class: Mammals

Order: Even-toed ungulates

Family: Bovidae

Weight: from 16 to 24 kg

Height: 50 cm

Body length: 70 cm

Coloration: from caramel to rich brown and from ashy to jet black.

Age of sexual maturity: 7 months

Gestation period: approximately 5 months

Lifespan: about 7 years

Habitat: ranges from Liberia to Sudan, and in the south to Congo and Zaire.

Diet: young shoots and leaves of various shrubs and trees, as well as a variety of grasses.

Did you know?

• These animals have abundant energy, a cheerful disposition, and cannot stand loneliness.

• The Cameroon goat is an excellent jumper, earning it the unofficial nickname “tree goat.”

• Whalers loved pygmy goats because they take up little space and are easy to transport: during long voyages, goats served as a source of milk and food.

• Pygmy goats have a strong immune system: they rarely get sick.

• Very tasty cheese can be made from pygmy goat milk.