Kamloops wildlife park mourns after popular goat struck by lightning

Staff and guests of the B.C. Wildlife Park in Kamloops are heartbroken to hear about the death of Gustav, an orphaned mountain goat who arrived at the centre last May.

The young mountain goat was a casualty of a massive storm Tuesday when he was struck and killed by lightning. 

Tracy Reynolds, the animal care manager at the park, raised Gustav since he was a few weeks old, when the B.C. Conservation Service brought him to the centre after he was found abandoned by a group of hikers in Kaslo. 

"He would follow me around anywhere," Reynolds said. "He was so attached to me, I had to actually get him somewhat used to being around four legged creatures."

"It's been a tough one."

Reynolds found Gustav during morning rounds Wednesday, lying perfectly still in his enclosure. A necropsy from a veterinarian confirmed he had been struck and killed by lightning. 

"I think probably what had happened was he was leaning up against the fence ... and he must have been just touching it enough that the fence was probably hit and then traveled through," she said. 

It's not very common for animals to die from lightning strikes, although Reynolds notes it does happen on nearby ranches on occasion.

Reynolds says she's not sure there was anything her staff could have done to prevent the incident.

"They have shelters they can go into, but you can't lock them in. A lot of animals would panic in such a situation. So, you have to let them be where they want to be in such a storm," she said. 

She said she hopes such an incident never happens again. 

Listen to the segment on Radio West: