The number of reported deaths of mountain goats soared by more than 18 times a year with heavy snows hindering their feeding activities.

The South Korean Cultural Heritage Administration, responsible for the maintenance of natural heritages, collected 277 death reports of mountain goats across South Korea from November to February, showing a big jump from the 15 deaths reported for the comparable period last year, CHA said Tuesday.

Mountain goats are an endangered species in Korea and are protected by the government as a Natural Monument, which is why the government accepts reports of their death cases.

Last winter’s increase was extraordinary as the tallies between November and February have never been more than 18 since 2019.

Extraordinarily heavy snow is suspected to be the prime reason for the spike.

A CHA official in an interview with local media said more of the goats seemed to face difficulty in finding fodder, moss and tree bark in the thick snow.

Most of the recent reports are from Gangwon Province’s mountainous parts of Yanggu-gun, Hwacheon-gun and Goseong-gun, which saw up to 80 centimeters of heavy snow until late February.

The death of old or young mountain goats was most commonly reported, according to the official.

Civic groups also criticize fences on mountains and calcium chloride scattered on the mountain roads for the goats’ deaths.

The National Park Conservation Network of Korea said fences set on the mountains to block bores prevented mountain goats from escaping areas with thick snow, causing exhaustion.

The fences, with calcium chloride which attracts hungry animals, also cause roadkill incidents, as the fences guide the animals to roads, NPCN argued.

In response to the surge in deaths, Korea National Park Services rescued 55 exhausted mountain goats between November and February, but 35 out of them died while being treated.

Civic groups also scatter more food across mountains, CHA said.

“We need to figure out any dangerous factors for the mountain goats and eliminate those which restrict their movement or lead them to their deaths,” NPCN said to the Korea Herald.