Local 4-H kids work to save endangered goats

Club partners with livestock conservancy



SIBLING LOVE—Anna Sorensen, 13, of Simi Valley holds 2-week-old kids Frigg, left, and Saga at her home July 31. Anna, a member of the Simi-Conejo 4-H Club, raises Nigerian dwarf goats, which had been considered endangered for nearly 40 years until recently.

SIBLING LOVE—Anna Sorensen, 13, of Simi Valley holds 2-week-old kids Frigg, left, and Saga at her home July 31. Anna, a member of the Simi-Conejo 4-H Club, raises Nigerian dwarf goats, which had been considered endangered for nearly 40 years until recently.

Anna Sorenson let four baby goats loose in her backyard to play under the scorching Simi Valley sun.

The 2-week-old kids tumbled around each other, still learning how to hop on their spindly legs.

The bleating babies were oblivious to the fact that Anna has been taking part in a nationwide effort to remove the goats from an endangered species list.

TASTY—Anna Sorensen gives her goats some Vitamin C tablets. The goats love the orange flavor of the vitamins, she says.

TASTY—Anna Sorensen gives her goats some Vitamin C tablets. The goats love the orange flavor of the vitamins, she says.

“They’re hand-raised and they’re dam-raised from when they were babies,” Anna said. “They’re goats, but they’re like potato chips—you can’t have just one.”

The 13-year-old bred the Nigerian dwarf goats from their mother, Freya, who is the offspring of Anna’s first goat, Kiki. Anna raises the goats with the help of her mother, Edith Sorensen, who leads the Simi-Conejo 4-H club.

FEEDING TIME—Anna Sorensen feeds her family of Nigerian dwarf goats a large scoopful of mixed grains July 31. Anna’s mom, Edith, leads the Conejo-Simi 4-H Club, which is working to encourage the breeding of endangered species of livestock throughout the county.

FEEDING TIME—Anna Sorensen feeds her family of Nigerian dwarf goats a large scoopful of mixed grains July 31. Anna’s mom, Edith, leads the Conejo-Simi 4-H Club, which is working to encourage the breeding of endangered species of livestock throughout the county.

The goats are being raised both for the 4-H Dairy Goat project and The Livestock Conservancy, a North Carolinabased nonprofit that researches and promotes the breeding of rare farm animals.

“The Conejo-Simi club is trying to bring the conservancy in . . . and just gain visibility,” Sorensen said.

Like many other species of dairy goats, she said, Nigerian dwarf goats have lost popularity among American breeders since the early 1800s and were added to The Livestock Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List. Though it has taken nearly 40 years, the breed has been removed from the list due to the work of farmers like the Sorensens across the U.S.

Jeannette Beranger, The Livestock Conservancy’s senior program manager, spoke at the Ventura County Fair yesterday. It was the organization’s first visit to a West Coast county fair. Sorensen hopes the visit will convince local judges to encourage the breeding of endangered species in the county.

In addition to the Nigerian dwarf goats, the Sorensen family has raised other endangered goat species, such as Oberhasli goats, and endangered chickens, like Jersey giants and bantams.

“We are trying very hard (with) any kids that are starting to do breeding projects to steer them toward some of the species that are on the endangered species list,” Sorensen said.

This year, some of the children in the local chapter raised endangered chickens and goats. Sorensen hopes that working with both 4-H and The Livestock Conservancy will increase genetic diversity, teach children responsible breeding and ensure the stability of the nation’s food sources.

“When diseases hit, a lot of these (endangered) animals were much healthier and weren’t as affected as commercial breeds,” Sorensen said. “If (something) happens like with the avian flu (there are) huge losses, clear across the country. (If) you have that come into a couple other line breeding animals, then our country is in big trouble. In general, you have to be a little smarter about the whole thing.”

4-H is more than just farm animals, the club leader said. Children in 4-H can learn about bugs, farm animals, public speaking, food science, plants and much more. The youths involved in Simi-Conejo 4-H tend to return to the area and contribute to the community as adults, she said.

“It will take a whole generation to really be mentored in bringing some of these not-so-popular species back into our food chain,” Sorensen said.


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