We haven't had them in sheep country yet but we would consider taking them based on the circumstances. The latest available science we have reviewed has not shown that goats are a threat to bighorn sheep; especially with respect to Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (M.ovi) and it’s link to pneumonia outbreaks; the main health concern when it comes to wild sheep. Domestic sheep and goats have been lumped together when it comes to this issue, but research has shown that they are different.
Studies commingling domestic sheep and bighorn sheep have had devastating results with very high fatality (~95%). It makes sense to do what we can to keep domestic sheep and bighorn sheep from having contact. Studies with goats have had very different results. Even when Movi positive goats were commingled with bighorn sheep, the bighorn sheep did not get pneumonia or die (Besser-WSU, 2012 & 2016). When you look at all of the commingling studies done, domestic goat studies have had comparable death rates to the horse and cattle studies (Goats-12.5%, Horse-17%, Cattle-11%). (Foreyt-1982, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2009; Onderka-1988; Besser-2012, 2016).
Furthermore, with recent discoveries of M.ovi carried non-sheep/goat species also needs to be considered. M.ovi has been found in caribou and moose as discovered by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in a June 15, 2018 press release. Another June 15, 2018 press release but by the Wild Sheep Foundation sited discovery of M.ovi in deer, bison, moose and caribou. There is no evidence that goats are any more of a threat to bighorn sheep than any of these other ungulates.
We also feel that this becomes a non-issue if we test for M.ovi prior to entering Bighorn Sheep country; our goats can't pass on something they don't have. Based on this, pack goats are a negligible risk to bighorn sheep populations when you consider the minimal risk indicated by the latest available science coupled with the nature of pack goats, heath inspections and some simple backcountry handling practices. I wouldn’t have pack goats if that wasn’t the case.