4 Baby Goats Make Their Debut At LA Zoo

LOS ANGELES, CA — Four young goats are ready to meet visitors at the Los Angeles Zoo.

The four 6-month-old female Boer goats recently made their debut in the ranch area of the Winnick Family Children’s Zoo, where guests can touch and pet them, zoo officials announced Wednesday.

“People love visiting the goats, and we are excited to expand the experience and watch our guests’ reactions,” Los Angeles Zoo Director of Animal Care Dominick Dorsa II said in a statement.

Dorsa said the close encounters provide enrichment for the animals while helping visitors build empathy for wildlife and stronger connections with nature.

The goats were born at Covina High School through its Future Farmers of America program. Students cared for the goats’ mothers during pregnancy and helped raise the kids before they moved to the zoo.

Covina High School’s FFA chapter, founded in 1948, is the only remaining chapter in the San Gabriel Valley and includes about 200 students, according to FFA adviser and agricultural science teacher Angie Bacon.

The school’s Boer goat breeding program gives students hands-on experience working with livestock and developing skills that can lead to careers in veterinary medicine and animal health, Bacon said.

“We are thrilled that these four kids are at the L.A. Zoo,” Bacon said.

Boer goats originated in South Africa. Their name comes from the Dutch word “boer,” meaning farmer. The breed arrived in the United States in the early 1990s and became popular in agriculture and livestock competitions.

Visitors can see the new goats alongside the zoo’s Nigerian dwarf goats from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, except Thursdays. The experience is weather permitting.