Status of ‘iconic’ mountain goats living near evacuated B.C. community is uncertain

It is not clear yet what has happened to a small group of “iconic” mountain goats, as a large wildfire burns out of control near the evacuated community of Summerland, B.C.

Motorists travelling toward the community from the north along Highway 97 could frequently spot the white animals, as they cling to the cliffs above Okanagan Lake, but their habitat falls within the borders of the Bald Range wildfire, which started last Friday and quickly spread.

That fire not only forced the rapid evacuation of Summerland, Peachland and surrounding communities, but also prompted questions and concerns about about the health of the mountain goats.

Michael Noonan, a biology professor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus, said he could only speculate about what happened to the animals, but he’s not optimistic.

“So, there is a very good chance many animals were lost during this fire,” he said in an interview Tuesday.

He said the animals have become “iconic” over the years, because of their visibility along Highway 97, which is currently closed because of the fire.

“You see them all the time, right?” he said. “So, there are a lot of people, who have a connection with those animals just from that.”

There are unconfirmed sightings and uncertainty about the status of the goats.

The Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance said on social media that the Peachland Fire and Rescue Service has spotted an unspecified number of animals.

But the post, which subsequently dropped any reference to the fire department, does not offer additional details, including specifics about any potential losses, and the society declined to make the person who spotted the animals available.

Peachland Fire and Rescue Service Chief Ian Cummings says he has no information one way or another about the animals.

Noonan, who has studied the responses of mountain goats to the fires that burnt through nearby Cathedral Park in 2003, said the animals do not immediately respond to an approaching fire.

“They respond, when it is an immediate threat,” he says. “So, with a fire like the Summerland fire that moved extremely fast, not having a proactive or strong proactive behaviour, is a big risk for wildfire.”

Noonan said his research from the Cathedral Park fire shows that mountain goats seek higher ground to escape flames, because that is their safe place.