Sanctuary: What a Trip! August 18, 2012

What's this?:

Yes, they're exactly what they look like-goats:

A trip of goats, to be precise, in a section of grassland in our local park:

And, why are these lovely creatures, all 40 of them, all female, roaming about in the city?

Because of this brilliant idea:

This bit of grassland became public property fifty years ago.  When it was private land, carragana bushes were planted to divide the area.  Carragana was commonly used as a decorative hedge around here; unfortunately, it grows well, like a weed, and unless vigorously controlled, quickly takes over natural habitats:

A Single Carragana "Bush"

The goats were brought in as pesticide-free, natural weed control.  They loved the vegetation, including the thistles, and were happy to visit with people who came to observe:

The girls don't leave much on the carragana bushes; they'll stand on their hind legs to munch on vegetation up to 5 feet off the ground.

This is a pilot project; the park authority will be looking into bringing goats in for the next few summers in an attempt to control what is fast becoming a massive weed infestation.  (That's all gone-to-seed thistle on the hillside; all faces of the hill are covered with the stuff.)

I didn't bring a spindle with me.  I wish I had-one of the goat herders was telling the children that cashmere came from goats.  These goats had lost their undercoats for the summer, so I couldn't tell if they'd ever shed spinning fibre, but it would have been fun to give a quick demonstration of yarn making from goats.  Lesson learned: never go anywhere without a spindle and fibre in your bag!

Namaste.