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Characteristics

Weight: male 130 lb (59 kg), female 59–79 lb (27–36 kg)

Height: male 26–30 in (66–76 cm), female 24-28 in (61–71 cm).

Billies have flattened, sweeping horns; the nannies’ horns are shorter, rounder and curve backwards.

The Arapawa arrived in New Zealand courtesy of the British explorer Captain James Cook, landing on the shores on 2 February, 1773; in 1777 he presented a Maori chief with a further two goats. It is accepted that the Arapawa are the descendants of the Old English Milch goats. In 1970 the New Zealand Forest Service decided to cull them, bringing them to the brink of extinction, since they “believed” they were damaging ancient woodland. Local farmer Betty Rowe spent a lifetime battling on their behalf. A number were taken to safety off the island to breed elsewhere.

In 1993 goats from the Betty Rowe Sanctuary arrived in the USA, and in 2004 six arrived in the UK. There are less than five hundred domesticated Arapawa worldwide. The American Livestock Conservancy believe them to be one of the rarest breeds in the world. They have short fluffy coats with shaggy leggings. The colours vary from black, brown, tan and fawn to creamy white and tri-coloured, with black or dark brown badger stripes on the face.