Innovative tools for the management of feral goats.: Local authority's digital governance attempts to control and reduce the number of escaped/unattended domesticated goats on the island of Rhodes Greece

Abstract

A feral, escaped or unattended goat (Capra hircus) outside its livestock pasture, unsupervised is unfortunately a common sight on Greek islands. The presence of the feral animals poses road-safety risks and produces potentially severe agricultural, environmental and property damages. We should not underestimate the acute tensions between the conflicting interests of farmers, animal breeders and the tourism industry stakeholders. According to the Greek legislation municipalities are responsible of capture and safeguarding of the feral goats, pending their sale, slaughter or re-domestication. Rhodes municipality has established an innovative "control and management program" for the feral goats designed to donate the meat produced from the captured animals to charitable organizations. The feral goats are captured in fenced pastures attracted by high quality fodder. The new addition to the program is the use of a digital platform where the public can actively support the efforts by submitting digitally data (photos, coordinates) of the feral goats sighting thus enhancing the efficiency of municipal services provided.