Mountain Goats Take Over Roof of Mount St. Helens Observatory

Mount St. Helens, United States – Mountain goats were filmed standing on the roof of the Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mount St. Helens in Washington state.

Footage released by USGS Volcanoes on Friday, November 6, opens on a clear view of the snow-capped volcano before zooming in on the goats balanced along the edge of the building's roof.

Scientists recently visiting the observatory were startled to see five goats watching them from above, the agency said. The site has been closed to vehicles since a landslide destroyed the SR 504 bridge in May 2023, leaving it with very few human visitors.

The 1980 eruption killed the few mountain goats living around the volcano, but the population is now thriving on the shrubs and wildflowers that have grown back, the USGS said.