During the World Wars, all armies that were passing by, used it ruthlessly. After World War II, communist authorities forbade breeding of the Bukovica considering it an inferior breed. They allowed breeding of Saanen goats and Alpine goats, but only allowed Bukovica's to be kept chained, with a maximum length of three meters, a maximum two goats per country household. Communist tourist employees and politicians claimed that the Bukovica goat had a negative influence on the development of tourism. Such opinions and the economic prosperity of the inhabitants brought the Bukovica, and the donkeys on the coast, to near extermination. On some islands, small numbers of the goats survived because the traditional, isolated inhabitants of the islands translated the breeding of "Bukovica" as resistance to the communism: and also because the goat provided them fresh food which came very irregularly due to poor transport to the coast.

Through the centuries the centre of Croatian "Caprinoculture" was in the hills on the north of the coast, more precisely, in the surrounding of Vrlika, Drnis and Benkovac. In that region, which is traditionally Croatian, the communists stimulated immigration of Serbs and there was no important investments in the infrastructure. In that secluded and forgotten region the breeding of larger number of Bukovicas was tolerated.

As the more aggresive part of the Croatian population emigrated from this region goat-breeding was left to people without such a tradition. The milking was mostly done by older people and flocks were not guarded because training of dogs was completely neglected. Today, there is nobody who knows how to train the dogs for guarding livestock. Electri wire is still almost unknown. All those facts caused the Bukovica goat to be proclaimed a "wild goat".

During 1964 and 1965, I was doing my regular military service in that region. For cannon towing we used two pairs of horses. My squadron included riding horses, too. Riding horses were used once a year for the famous knight competition called "Sinjska alka". The horses had to be in good form, so we went for a long ride every week. We took a rest at noon, somewhere in the shade of the woods, where we used to meet the "wild' goats, and very often the owners of the flock, too. I used to have long and interesting conversations about goats with them. Very soon I was "honoured" by the nick-name the "Goat Rider" by my colleagues. I spent all my free time with those goat herds. I learned a lot about goats, about using them as well as the traditional cheese making and keeping.

For the last 50 years the goats have had to survive outside all year round. In the winter there is not much snow in that region, but very strong and cold winds (called bura) blows, often at more than 100km per hour. It is not usual to prepare the hay as a reserve (although there is enough grass in May and later in Autumn). Traditionally the peasants fed the goat with branches cut from brushes. The feeding of cereals was considered a big luxury. Big daily movements of the goats, and insufficient fodder, causes low producing results. "Bukovica" goat in that region has also got natural enemies like wolf, bear, a jackal, the snakes (vipers). Those enemies often cause the hungry goats to stampede back to the stables.

The straw is put on the stone ground. The droppings simply fall down and early in the Spring the stable is cleaned. The droppings are sold as manure for gardens. People often say: "It is important to have some goat milk, some flesh and a lot of prpa (the local name for droppings) and we'll have enough vegetables for us and for sale". People in this region are very tall and strong. A lot of Croatian basketball players come from this region.

Around 1985 there was a large migration of people to the towns on the coast. The bureacracy became "indulgent" which statisified local politicians (if there are no peasants, there is no need for politicians). A large number of Saanen and French Alpine goats were brought into the region, and were sold to people by approving them favourable credits, with the explanation that they would live very well off the new breeds. They told peasants the "Bukovica" had to be destroyed.

Those years I spent holidays in the camp on the seaside, but very rarely would I be swimming in the sea. I spent the whole time in the hinterland with goat-herders telling them about what I saw travelling through Europe and what I learned from the international at literature. I often gave lectures on local affairs after which I was invited to the goat-herders homes. In all this time I've never meet a government agricultural "counseller" although I know they exist and draw regular pay packets. Croatian economic emigrants who worked in France, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland started to return in large numbers to their neglected households and they brought new experiences, too. We thought that finally better times would return for goat breeding and affirmation of the "Bukovica". Collected information showed a positive trend of production and sale. Comparisions of milk production were done including Feral goats, the "Bukovica", Alpine, and their half breeds, under the same conditions of breeding and nutrition. Better control of the herds, better nutrition and veterinary care, undoubtedly contribuated to the Bukovica affirming its advantages and its unuesd production possiblities. We were looking forward to the positive movements.

The joy did not last very long. One day, the lorries of JNA (Regular Army of former Yugoslavia) came to the villages, accompanied by the criminals from the jails of Serbia, dressed in the uniforms of JNA with para-military, chetnics signs. Those people were led by the local Serbian nationalists. The order was given: "In an hour, only with hand bags, get together by the lorries, we take you to your Croats in Zagreb. We will shoot those who try to run away, hiding is punished by execution". Crying, screams, chaos. Some people managed to open the stables and enclosures, and let the goats and cattle out. Some of the goats ran away with the cattle. The soldiers were shooting at them. A machine gun was fired at the goats in the barns.

The "Bukovica" was in panic, running towards the hills. They wandered for days. The bears, wolves and jackals followed the goats attacking the younger, weaker animals. Scared goats stepped upon vipers. Frequent overflights of helicopters used the goats for shooting practice. Later, I was told by the people, who survived hiding in the caves and woods, that they saw shooting on the goats, wolfs and bears even from the helicopters with UN signs.

A few years later, these areas were liberated by Croatian Army. It is important to say that Croatian Army was moving fast and did not shoot at the goats. The inhabitants of that region were not able to come back home immediately, because they did not have anywhere to live and mines were everywhere including most of the fields (it is still today). The army was followed by groups of Croatian criminals who attacked everything, especially the goats, because they were easy to butcher. The flesh was sold on the black market. The Croatian Army tried to stop this market.

The Shar-Mountain dog bred for guarding livestock in the Macedonian region.

The inhabitants began to come back, to renew their country households. They found numerous herds of goats in the hills among unapproachable rocks. With the help of Croatian Army, people organized the collecting of the goats, which was really hard because of the sharp rocks. Certainly, it would be much easier and faster to the collecting with the trained dogs.

Released several years, under the hard conditions, only one of the Alpine or Saanen goats had survived and only a small number of half-breeds of Alpine and Bukovica goats survived the torture.

Few of all collected goats, over 5000, could be recognized by their owners. Only about twenty olders bucks recognized their owners.

I took with me two young, beautiful "Bukovica" goats and I went home happy. The results of "Bukovica" and boer buck crossbreeding brought us immense joy. I asked to be introduced to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Matej Jankovic (Lipicaner horse breeder). At the meeting, I tried to explain to him and his assistant, Prof. Pavao Caput, the situation with "Bukovica" goats. I asked to protect the race as autochthonous (springing from the land / original inhabitants) and to list it as a Croatian "race" to avoid a repeat story with Istrian goats. Istria is the largest Croatian peninsula where goat keeping and breeding has long tradition, but in the recently printed book from Valerie Porter "Goats of the World", the Istrian goat was described as an Italian goat. It sems that the Italians listed it as a goat of their origin. I was promised by the Minister of Agriculture and his assistant that special commission would be formed with the aim of listing the "Bukovica" goat. I was proposed as a member of that commission. I wrote an appeal in our agrarian magazine "Spasimo Bukovica" (Let us save "Bukovica"), which was sent to all Croatian authorities and universities. I thought that it was finally over, finally we had saved the "Bukovica" goat.

Sadly this was not to be. I got the information from Vrlika that the goat-herders, who had "Bukovica", were visited by people with lorries, paying cash $US50-55 (a small fortune in local currency) per goat. According to the information given, they were acting on behalf of the Advisory Agriculture Administration - Ministry of Agriculture. When I checked the information the government department did not know anything of it. The goats and buyers disappeared.

In the winter, the same year, I got more information: "At the border the lorries with the young goats, some in kid and not in good condition, stayed for two days." Two days after that there was a further report: "800 goats were unloaded at the, so called, genetic centre near Buzet in Istria" I took my car and went to Buzet. The people told me that when the goats arrived a number were dead. There was no straw for animals, and no hay or grain to feed them. Nothing arrived till the next day. "I went personally to check the story, but I was stopped by physical threats. Next day, I succeeded with help from some very important people. Taking photographs was strictly forbiden. I saw sick, starving goats in kid, some of them were dying, some of them aborted, trembling, some of them could not even stand. There was only one person handling all those sick goats. There was no veterinarian there although I was told that he was present during unloading. They did not know when he would come again. I was very disappointed when I found out that he was a person I know very well.

When I arrived home, the goat herders from all over Croatia were calling me, telling me that the regional Advisory Agricultural Administration had offered them favourable 'credits' for new goat genetics imported from France for a price of $US430 per young goat in kid. Most who took the goats and accepted the credits ended up with nothing.The Alpine goats died, and the credit remained. Only a few small news items got into the newspapers, soon everything was covered up with the explanation that it was the problem of adaptation and goat keeper ignorance. Some experts claimed that imported goats got sick from domestic (feral) goats and "Bukovica" goats. Veterinarians, responsible people excused themselves by the following words: "You have to know that was international credit."

It is important to emphasize that Vindija, a milk co-operative in North West Croatia with over 5000 milking goats, could have delivered the same quality of healthy goats for over $US170 per head.
Several months later, 1200 goats were imported again, but this time, the quarantine was in the "Bukovica" goats home region. It was the same story again: the goats were sold all over Croatia for the same price. There was a total failure again - the goats and the kids were dying. Domestic goats and keepers (people) got sick. The news agitated the press and TV. Goat chaos. The State Veterinarian Institute refused to show the blood tests to the goat keepers.

All goats left alive, and sick ones, were placed back into quarantine. Ironically many of these imported goats are now running wild in the "Bukovica" goats old home.

Do you understand this story? I do not. I hope to get a lot of your supporting letters in the aim to save the "Bukovica" goat.

About the author: 

Nikola Sneberger describes himself as an independent "fighter for real goat status and for popularization of Caprinoculture in Croatia. He writes articles for newspapers, magazines and TV to educate them on the benefits of goat farming, particularly for meat production. He also has one of the only boer goat herds in Croatia and can be contacted at:  

Nikola Sneberger
Samci 56A
49245 Gornja Croatia
Ph/Fax: ++385 0 49 289 547,
Email: nikola.sneberger@kr.tel.hr 

The Agony of the Bukovica

One of the "Bukovica" goats that survived a wolf attack. The teeth holes are visible.	A nanny bitten by a viper lays dying while her kid looks for comfort.

Source:

• Nikola Sneberger, "The Tragedy of the Bukovica Goat", The Goat Farmer Online, May-June 1999.