The social life of wild goats – studying kri-kris on Theodorou island

The social behaviour of the Cretan wild goats on Theodorou island off Platanias is to be recorded using cameras and drones by scientists working mostly at foreign universities, in collaboration with the University of Crete and the local Forestry Service. The project comes under the heading of ethology – a branch of science which studies the behaviour of animals in their natural environment. For the researchers, “free from human intervention, the isolated population of Cretan wild goats on Theodorou island constitutes an ideal system for studying the relationships between the heterogeneity of habitats and the characteristics of social networks.”

The rocky island is seen silhouetted against a blue sky offshore, with waves breaking on a sandy beach in the foreground.
Now a reserve for the Cretan kri-kri or wild goat, Theodorou island, 1 km offshore from Platanias, has a long history. Known in ancient times as Akytos (unsuitable for habitation), the island’s current name comes from an early Christian church which was built there and has recently been renovated. In 1574 the Venetians built two fortresses on the island to protect the coastline from pirate incursions. In 1645, after landing at Kolymbari to start their invasion of Crete, the Turks launched a fierce attack on Theodorou island. The leader of the garrison set fire to the arsenal, causing a massive explosion which killed both the defenders and many of the invading Ottomans. Photo: Yasmyrvillas.gr, CC BY-SA 4.0

As University of Crete researcher Petros Lyberakis explained to Haniotika Nea, the team who will carry out the project “are young researchers from prestigious universities abroad, most of them specialising in ethology and social behaviour. They decided to do something together on the subject of ethology and chose the wild goat. They got in touch with me and told me of their idea, with a view to our collaborating in their effort.”

The project on Theodorou will start at the beginning of July. “They will place cameras at different points to study the social behaviour of the wild goat. That is to say, the groups which the animals form, what they have in common, how they spend their day – which should provide answers to a series of questions. At the same time they will conduct a workshop on the subject of ethology which will be aimed at young students,” Mr Lyberakis said.

As regards the number of wild goats which are living on Theodorou island, the head of the Chania Forestry Service Aglaia Skoubaki told Haniotika Nea, “last year there was a survey of the animals on the island. On the basis of data from our colleagues, there are estimated be 110 to 120 Cretan wild goats on the Theodorou islands.” (There is an islet adjacent to the main island which is called Theodoropoula, so the group is sometimes referred to in the plural.)

The plan
The research scheme includes mapping the habitat with drones, together with measurements of social networks derived from the recognition of individuals through deep learning analysis of video from camera traps. This “will allow investigation of how the abundance of resources shapes relationships – it is expected that in areas with abundant resources, such as those with feeding stations where food is provided to maintain the population, individuals will increase in number and in the diversity of their social relationships, whereas in areas where food is not provided but there are opportunities, such as on steep cliffs where there are patches of green, individuals will need to interact more selectively.

“Through mapping of the habitat with drones and the installation of multiple fixed camera-traps, the aim is to investigate whether social risk compensation enables the Cretan wild goat to establish relationships preferentially in response to the abundance and distribution of resources. Initial elucidation of the basic social strategies followed by the species will allow the measurements of individual social networks to be connected later with survival and reproductive success, at the long-term stage of the study.”

The research will be carried out by Dr A. Vezyrakis (University of Hildesheim), Dr D. Georgopoulou (Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture), F. Darmi, Dr D. Papageorgiou (Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour), Dr M. Papadopoulou (Max-Planck Institute for Human Development) and Dr N. Smit (University of Turku), in collaboration with Dr. P. Lyberakis of the Natural History Museum of Crete–University of Crete. The Theodorou islands were chosen to be maintained as a sanctuary for the Cretan wild goat in 1963, when animals were transferred from the Samaria National Park.
(Haniotika Nea, 25/05/26)

What is the kri-kri?

The animal with its head turned to one side stands on a rock in the shade of a wild fig tree.
A female kri-kri in its natural habitat in the Samaria Gorge. Molecular analyses have demonstrated that the kri-kri is not, as previously thought, a distinct subspecies of wild goat. Rather, it is a feral domestic goat, derived from the first stocks of goats domesticated in the Levant and other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean around 8,000-7,500 BCE. Therefore, it represents a nearly ten-thousand-year-old “snapshot” of the first domestication of goats. (Wikipedia). Photo: Wannes, CC0.

The kri-kri (Capra hircus cretica), sometimes called the Cretan goat, agrimi, or Cretan ibex, is a feral goat inhabiting the Eastern Mediterranean. The kri-kri today is found only in Greece, specifically on Crete and on three small islands off its coast – on Theodorou, on Dia (10 km north of Heraklion), and on Agioi Pantes (off Agios Nikolaos)- as well as the island of Sapientza off the southwestern coast of Peloponnese.

The kri-kri has a light brownish coat with a darker band around its neck. It has two horns that sweep back from the head. In the wild kri-kris are shy and avoid humans, resting during the day. They can leap some distance or climb seemingly sheer cliffs.

The kri-kri is not thought to be indigenous to Crete, most likely having been imported to the island during the time of the Minoan civilization. It was once common throughout the Aegean but the 2,400 m peaks of Lefka Ori are its last natural stronghold – particularly a series of almost vertical 900 m cliffs at the head of the Samaria Gorge. (Wikipedia)

Having been hunted for its meat, in particular during the German occupation of Crete, by 1960 the kri-kri was under threat with a population below 200. It was at that point that it was decided to create a reserve on Theodorou island with animals brought from the Samaria Gorge. Access to the public is forbidden except on one day a year.

The festival of St Theodoros
On Monday 8th June, people will be able to visit Theodorou island, have picnics, go for walks and pay their respects at the newly renovated chapel of St Theodoros on the saint’s feast day, which is the one day in the year on which the public is allowed on the island. Boats leave from Agia Marina from early in the morning, and those wishing to make the trip are advised to get there early, as the excursion is very popular with locals and sometimes not all those who are queuing can be accommodated before the cut-off time. According to a press release issued by the Municipality of Chania on 5th June:

“On Monday 8th June, the Municipality of Chania, the Chania Forestry Service, the local community of Agia Marina, the ‘Ta Thodorou’ Cultural Association, the ‘Granitis’ football team and the Parish of Agia Marina are honouring the feast of St Theodoros and jointly organising the annual festival on the island of the same name at Agia Marina. Public access to the protected island is allowed only on the day of the feast of St Theodoros.

“Transfers to the island will start from the 2nd breakwater at Agia Marina (behind the pharmacy) at 7:30 in the morning. The last boatload will leave for the island at 12.00 and the last departure from the island will be at 13:30.

“The boat ticket costs €10.00, with children under 12 travelling free. The price is fixed by the boat owners and is purely for their recompense.”
(www.chania.gr)