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A goatherd (Template:Pron-en) or a goatherder is a person who herds goats as a vocational activity. Similar to a fisherman who catches fish for a living, the drover here herds goats. Goatherds are popular in countries where goat populations are significant; for instance, in Africa and South Asia. Goats are typically bred as dairy or meat animals, with some breeds being shorn for wool (see Goats in agriculture).
Fictional goatherds include Peter from Johanna Spyri's Heidi, and the song "The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music. Enid Blyton's novel "The Secret of Killimooin", set in the fictional but probably eastern European country of Baronia, features a blind goatherd called Beowald, who is so in tune with his environment that he can roam the mountains using his other senses, apparently unhindered by his lack of sight. The word capriculturist, which is derived from Latin, began to appear with some frequency in the late 1940s.
See also
- C. J. Stevens, author of One Day with a Goat Herd, about goat herding.
- Zoe Watson, author of "I want to be a goat herder.", about her struggles in merging goatherding with her city life.