Booted Goat

The Booted Goat, also known as Stiefelgeiss (German), was originally spread throughout the uplands of St. Gallen (Walensee, Flums, Weisstannental, and Taminatal), in the Glarus canton and its bordering regions. It belongs to the group of moutain goats. Until at least the 1920s it was common, but in the 1980s it became nearly extinct, revitalized by the foundation Pro Specie Rara in Switzerland. The current breeding region has its concentration in eastern Switzerland, with individual breeding groups in the central and western parts of the country.

The Booted Goat is a robust, vivacious, easily satisfied breed which is well-suited for extensive keeping under extreme topographical and climatic conditions, mostly in mountainous regions. It is horned, of bright gray-brown to dark red-brown color with black or brown markings (black or brown boots). Typically, they have long hairs over their backs called Mänteli, meaning “little covering, and on their hind quarters, which are markedly darker or lighter than the rest of the coat of hair.

To secure its existence, Booted Goat breeding groups are being maintained in Switzerland. The Booted Goat is an agriculturally useful animal for the production of dairy, meat, and fleece, in addition to utilizing fallow ground.