Visitors to Washington’s Olympic National Forest no longer need fear the wrath of the mountain goat. A trail on Mount Ellinor had to be closed last July after several groups of hikers reported encounters with exceptionally aggressive mountain goats. In an effort to teach them to fear humans once again, Forest Service employee Kurt Aluzas used a combination of repellant spray, shouting, and paintballs to force the goats back from the trail. Authorities blame the goats’ aggressive behavior on increased human contact and are warning visitors not to feed the animals. (One hiker was even in 2010.) Anyone encountering a goat is advised to stand their ground and shout aggressively in the animal鈥檚 direction.
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