Goats – More than just Petting Zoo’s and Milk

Never underestimate a goat, they may have cute little faces, but they serve many purposes that really contribute to our environment, the recent wildfires (or better continual) in California struck my attention in regards to goats being in the news. I looked into this further and was provided with a lot of information that these little petting zoo animals are capable of. Goats are members of a diverse group of mammals called ungulates. They have never been known for winning any intelligence prizes in the animal kingdom. Researchers recently published a new paper called Frontiers in Zoology, which points out that these funny hoofed eating machines have a pretty high IQ. The strike against them is that they have been domesticated, thereby lacking their social intricacies and foraging skills due to no need, easy meal tickets provided.

In California, about 6000 wildfires sweep annually, causing damage to homes and land in large scale. When the rain stops in April, vegetation turns crisp and brown, the tiniest spark can set off a major fire. Chemicals are not an option because of leaking poison into the earth and large equipment to hinder the fire is way too expensive. Here comes in the new “kids” on the block at dinner, chomping, chomping eating their fill of this dry vegetation. Goats, several hundred of them , while they are simply just enjoying a meal, in turn, they are protecting the people of California form dry-season nightmare the blazing fast-spreading wild land fire. Five years ago local veterinarians started to introduce the goats to the area, these animals are good for this sort of fuel management because they are primarily browsers. Goats rather eat brush than grass. They eat 25 percent of their body weight each day and are definitely eco-friendly.

Reality is goats help prevent forest fires, or at best slow a fire down by eating the dry stuff before the fire season starts. The goats have really kept brush under control and added benefits of truckloads of junk, bottles, cans, paper, you name it. Another good thing they do is weed control. Same concept applies to weed control, less chemicals and cheaper option, due to the goats preferring to eat brush or weeds. For this, goats must be stocked and taken care of to meet their nutritional needs and control their movement. Goats serve as a compliment to beef cattle or horse operation. However, the trick is that goats learn their eating habits from their mothers, and some do have a preference for grass. Stockers of goat herds must purchase their animals being raised by brush – eating mothers. Goats also are excellent crawlers, climbers and jumpers. Unless well – contained , they more than likely will pull a “Houdini” and get away. They need to be fenced and carefully guarded. Yet even with all this, less expensive than other methods worse for the environment and pocketbook.

Goats have been chosen to help out in many different environmental situations. In Lehigh Valley, PA, the goats are used to rid Hawk Mountain of a noxious weed called Japanese stilt grass. This is part of a larger scale five year invasive plant management study at Hawk Mountain. In other parts of the United States goats have also been leased to clean vegetation and control invasive plants. In 2013, San Francisco Airport hired goat farmers to clear airport land without having endangered snakes and frogs. In Detroit, goats have been used to maintain abandoned lots in the bankrupt city.

There are many natural ways that we can thrive without harming our environment. Goats are just one positive way. They can be utilized as an effective bio-control agent to reduce weed populations to economically acceptable levels. The fires also can turn the other way thanks to our little “kids”.

Written By:   Mary Ann Scorza