ORANGE COUNTY ZOO
Photo courtesy of
Irvine Park Railroad
At the Zoo
Live Web Cameras
Animals at the Zoo
Plants at the Zoo
Zoo Information
Zoo hours, location, contact
Events, classes, programs
New at the Zoo
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The Orange County Zoo is
owned and operated by the
County
of Orange, California.
Web page produced by the
Orange County Zoological Society,
Copyright 2005.
Domestic Goat
Capra hircus
The Orange County Zoo has the following breeds
of domestic goats: Pygmy, Alpine, Toggenburg and Nubian.
The Pygmy Goat was originally called the Cameroon Dwarf Goat. It came from the former French Cameroon area in Africa. The Cameroon goats were exported from Africa to zoos in Sweden and Germany where they were on display as exotic animals. From there they made their way to England, Canada, and the United States.
The Alpine is a breed of goat that originated in the Alps. These goats were brought to the United States from France. Alpine females are excellent milkers. These are hardy, adaptable animals that thrive in any climate.
The Toggenburg is a
Swiss dairy goat from Toggenburg Valley of Switzerland. They are also credited
as being the oldest known dairy goat breed. This breed is medium size, sturdy,
vigorous, and alert in appearance.
Nubians were developed in England by crossing British goats with bucks of African and Indian origin. The Anglo Nubian is an all-purpose goat, useful for meat, milk and hide production.