 The Girgentana is one of the eight autochthonous Italian goat breeds for which a genealogical herdbook is kept by the Associazione Nazionale della Pastorizia, the Italian national association of sheep-breeders.It was formerly numerous in the province of Agrigento, where there were more than 30,000 in the coastal area and the hilly hinterland.It has since fallen rapidly, to the point that measures for its protection may be needed.