The Pygmy is a British

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

of dwarf goat. It is small, compact and generally stockily built. It was established in the 1980s by fusion of the various miniature goat populations of the United Kingdom into a single breed. These were of two principal types: a stocky achondroplastic type derived from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa; and a small but well-proportioned type derived from the Southern Sudan goat.

History

From the nineteenth century small goats from Africa were brought to the United Kingdom to be exhibited in zoos. Some of these came into the hands of private breeders, who kept and bred them as companion animals. Among these there were two principal types: a broad, short-legged, compact and solid achondroplastic type, often

blue roan Roan is a horse coat color pattern characterized by an even mixture of colored and white hairs on the body, while the head and " points"—lower legs, mane, and tail—are mostly solid-colored. Horses with roan coats have white hairs evenly ...

in colour, derived from the West African Dwarf group of breeds of West Africa; and a small but well-proportioned type derived from the Southern Sudan goat. Regardless of their actual origins, the former was known as the "Cameroon" and the latter as the "Nigerian". In 1982 the varying types were merged into a single breed. A breed society – the Pygmy Goat Club – was formed, and a herd-book started. The breed society is not among those approved by the

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United K ...

to operate a herd-book. In 2018 a population of 2316 head was reported to the DAD-IS breed database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 2019 the conservation status of the Pygmy was listed there as "at risk"; it was not on the goat watchlist of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

Use

The Pygmy is reared for

show Show or The Show may refer to: Competition, event, or artistic production * Agricultural show, associated with agriculture and animal husbandry * Animal show, a judged event in the hobby of animal fancy ** Cat show ** Dog show ** Horse show ** Sp ...

or as a companion animal.

References

{{British Isles livestock, R.3 Goat breeds Goat breeds originating in the United Kingdom