Sad story, of course. But billy goats (even nannies) have long been known to be quite aggressive and very prone to butting.
Violent behavior
Mountain Goats have an aggressive social structure. The goats often push and shove each other –sometimes falling off cliffs. Adults will sometimes lift smaller goats and toss them, although the victims usually manage to catch themselves.
In Alberta, biologists Francois Fournier and Marco Festa-Bianchet found that Mountain Goats have an average of 3-4 conflicts per goat, per hour, throughout the entire year –and 5 or 6 conflicts per hour are quite common! Bighorn Sheep, on the other hand, only experience conflict once every 2-3 hours during the mating season –despite their reputation for continually butting-heads.
Mountain goats do not butt heads. Instead they poke each other in the hindquarters or on the backside. As a result of this constant fighting, male mountain goats have developed an extra-thick layer of skin to protect their behinds.
Biologists think that this aggressive behavior among mountain goats encourages the herds to disperse. Small bands of half-a-dozen animals have a better chance of survival in harsh conditions where food is scarce.
Nannies are most often the aggressors in these conflicts. Nanny goats will lay claim to the best cliffs on which to feed and produce their young. ...
Mountain Goats breed in the fall ... Males fight for the females, sometimes inflicting fatal wounds.
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www.angelfire.com/punk2/walktheplank/mountgoats.html
I won't vouch for this source, but the info sound correct to me. And it is breeding season, and these goat have been around people since birth and may well be partially imprinted on people, viewing people as fellow goats! /s/ An Old Goat.
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