Mountain Goats Dance on a Subaru

On July 11, a videographer caught some fun footage of a couple of mountain goats ( Oreamnos americanus ) on a Subaru near Idaho Springs, Colorado.

One of the goats—which can be aggressive—hops down after a few seconds on the hood, while the other goes for a playful romp on the rooftop carrier.

The video has made the rounds of a number of internet sites, including Daily Motion and Accuweather.

Some of the comments about the video are hilarious, including the fact that this would be great advertising material for Subaru. And the roof cargo carrier.

The US Forest Service has a few warnings about mountain goats:

• Never feed mountain goats.

• Stay at least 50 yards (half the length of a football field) away from goats.

• If a goat approaches, slowly move away. If it persists, chase it off by yelling, waving your arms, waving clothing, or throwing rocks.

• Urinate on rocks, bare soil, or snow at least 50 yards from the trail. Do not leave clothes or gear unattended.

No joke. My wife Ann and I had one of these fellows charge at our Toyota truck on Independence Pass back in the early 1990s.

My climbing partner Benny Bach and I were surrounded by about 20 mountain goats in the Gore Range in 1997. We stayed in our tent all day.