A strange disease killed many Colorado animals in 2013 and 2019. Colorado Parks and Wildlife wants to know why. 

If you spend a lot of time in the mountains this summer, you might see a mountain goat or two marked with paintballs. Don't worry—teenagers with paintball guns aren't harassing the wildlife. The paintball marks are an intentional part of Colorado Parks and Wildlife's study to understand better disease outbreaks and what killed animals in 2013 and 2019. 

In those two years, wildlife experts witnessed kids (baby mountain goats) suffering from severe diarrhea. Most of the kids in those two years were lost due to the mysterious illness. 

To help understand what caused the loss, wildlife biologist Lance Carpenter and pathologist Karen Fox began a study that includes taking fecal samples of the adult females (nannies) and their offsprings from this year (June through October). The samples give them a baseline of information about what sort of pathogens might be living in the fecal matter. 

Carpenter reassured the public that the paintballs don't hurt the goats. The marks help experts track animals over time and obtain baseline information on the bacteria and viruses in their fecal matter should another outbreak occur this fall. Carpenter noted an interesting finding already; many specimens have high amounts of E. coli. However, they don't yet know if that's the cause of the mysterious disease. 

A 2020 population survey found that between 80 and 90 mountain goats call the Mount Evans region home. 

Have you heard anything about the mysterious illness affecting so many mountain goats? Let us know in the comments.