‘Goat tested, goat approved.’ See mountain goats stomp on Subaru SUV roof in Colorado
The owner of a Subaru SUV got the ultimate “field test” for the car when a pair of mountain goats stomped across its hood, windshield and rooftop cargo box in Colorado, video shows.
Wildlife photographer Michael Ryno captured the moment on Mount Blue Sky, one of Colorado’s most iconic “14ers” — a mountain with an elevation over 14,000 feet above sea level — he said in a July 11 post on Instagram. The peak is about a 45-mile drive west of Denver.
His video shows one of the mountain goats walking across the hood of the car while the other repeatedly stomps directly on top of a rooftop cargo box fastened to the SUV’s roof.
The car’s owner, outdoor social media influencer Mindy Williford of Superglamp, discovered the goats’ unique hoof prints all over the white paint and windshield when she returned from five hours of climbing Tour de Abyss on the east ridge of Mount Bierstadt, Williford said in videos on Instagram and TikTok.
“Those are hoof prints! There was a goat on my car,” she said in the video.
“That is hilarious, and it went all the way on the top here too,” she said as she filmed hoof prints on the Yakima cargo box. “ ... I wish I could have seen that.”
Her wish came true when she found Ryno’s video of the goats trampling on her car on Instagram.
“OMG that’s my car!” she said. “Thank you so much for capturing this.”
Williford’s SUV and the Yakima cargo box “both proved to be super durable during field testing” — and now she says she’ll only use those companies’ products.
“The goats were just testing out the stability of your Subaru,” someone said in a comment under the video. “As you can see, the technician is performing a 120 multi-point inspection to make sure you’re getting your (moneys) worth.”
“Goat tested, goat approved,” Williford replied.
The video caught the attention of both companies on social media.
“People have said we’re the GOAT but didn’t think this was what it meant,” Subaru said under Williford’s video on TikTok.
“Believe it or not we actually test our products for situations like this,” Yakima said in a comment under Ryno’s video on Instagram.
It also caught Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s attention. The agency shared the video on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday, July 15.
“Looks up mountain goat on top of vehicle coverage,” the agency said.
“Mountain goats have special hooves that help them travel up cliffs, steep slopes and in this case, a car,” the agency added. “Their hooves have a hard outer rim and a soft rubbery bottom that acts like a suction cup.”
“Great ad for the rooftop carrier,” someone said.
This story was originally published July 16, 2024 at 3:48 PM with the headline "‘Goat tested, goat approved.’ See mountain goats stomp on Subaru SUV roof in Colorado."
