The Bukit Barisan Mountains on the Sumatra Island are rich in rare and protected biodiversity, including the Sumatran forest goat or Capricornis sumatraensis. Also known as Sumatran Serow and is endemic to Sumatra, it is one of six types of forest goats in eastern Asia.

Unlike goats in general, it has more muscular physical characteristics with a body covered in thick and coarse hair with a grayish-black color, which at first glance looks like a calf. The muzzle resembles a buffalo, whereas the horns are slender, short, and straight back like those of an antelope. It has an average length of 12 to 16 centimeters. It weighs between 50-140 kilograms and has a body length between 140-180 centimeters, up to 85-94 cm in height.

This animal is shy and lives solitary, especially the male. It will release dirt and urine to mark territory and actively look for females during the mating season of October to November. The gestation period lasts seven months, after which a doe can give birth to one child.

This rare animal's maximum lifespan is around 20 to 21 years for males and 21 to 22 years for females. Despite spending more time on land, C sumatraensis is also an accomplished swimmer. Not only that, but this goat is also known to be agile at climbing cliffs where humans would need the help of a rope.

These goats are active in the morning and evening. At noon, they rest in the shade of large rocks or caves. Their source of food is nutrient-rich plants. Their habitat consists of primary and secondary forest near mountains or limestone hills at an altitude of 200 - 3,000 meters above sea level.

The population can be discovered in Gunung Leuser National Park (TNGL), Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS), Batang Gadis National Park (TNBG), and Bukit Barisan National Park. Abroad, They also are found on the Thailand-Malaysia Peninsula.

Endangered Species

JW Duckworth, an Australian researcher who participated in the study on Sumatran forest goat populations by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) claims that the general population of Sumatran forest goats has continued to decline by more than 30% within the last 21 years. He conducted the study in the mountainous regions of Sumatra and the Malaysian highlands in late 2007. Illegal hunting and logging in their ecosystem eliminated their source of food. These are the main culprits, along with the fact that they become prey to big cats such as the leopard (Panthera pardus) and the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris).

In Indonesia, there is no official number of the remaining Sumatran forest goats. The head of the TNBG, Sahdin Zunaidi, stated that his party had just started a census activity, just as the government determined Sumatran forest goats as protected species based on Government Regulation Number 7 of 1999. IUCN also included Sumatran forest goats in the Vulnerable Red List in 2008.

This animal has intruded on residential areas several times, particularly during the Mount Sinabung eruption in North Sumatra. In 2013, residents of Beras Tepu Village, Simpang Empat District, Karo Regency found a Sumatran forest goat that had strayed into the yard of a resident's house with a thin and limp body. The residents initially thought this animal belonged to the locals. In 2016, a farmer in Toba Samosir also found this animal straying on the forest edge.

A resident in Sopotinjak, Mandailing Natal Regency, on January 18, saw a Sumatran forest goat straying into a residential area. Then, on May 28, the TNGL Center management uploaded information on the whereabouts of two Sumatran forest goats recorded on camera, appearing to be a pair of male and female. The awareness of all parties, including the community, is essential to preserve this endangered species and maintain Indonesia's biodiversity.

Writer: Anton Setiawan
Editor: Firman Hidranto/Ratna Nuraini/Elvira Inda Sari/Wilda Stiana
Translator: Wisnu Wardoyo