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City Passes on Gas Mowers, Hires Goats to Clear Grass

Goats are cheaper and greener than human gardeners.The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency enlisted 100 goats to clear a 2.5-acre downtown lot yesterday, saying that the goats are cheaper and better for the environment than humans with weed-wackers, the LA Times reports.

The steep, weed-coated property temporarily turned to somewhat of a zoo, with downtown workers halting from their commute to gawk at the munching mountain goats. Subway riders snapped photos on their cell phones, capturing the stark contrast between the skyscrapers and the specialty-breed South African Boers. Being so close to Hollywood, many onlookers assumed the goats were part of a film set or public art installation.

George Gonzalez, goat-keeper and only paid member of the workforce, said the goats could be working on the field for up to 10 days. The Redevelopment Agency paid $3,000 to use the goats and said the cost for human workers would have been more than double. And obviously the goats don’t need lunch breaks.

The space will eventually be home to a third California Plaza skyscraper. There are no plans to use goats or any other animals later in the project, but hopefully the building process will find other ways to keep the environment in mind.

Photo Credit: Ctoverdrive on Flickr under Creative Commons license.

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6 comments
  1. Gena

    This is awesome! I can’t wait to see goats on the side of the roads! I went to college in Florida and they used goats for weeding there too…it was always a hilarious day the first time we saw them!

  2. codesuidae

    Over $6000 to cut a 2.5 acre property? Seriously? I’m in the wrong industry.

    I wonder if the property was fenced already or if they had to pay to put up a fence to keep the goats in (wouldn’t want the little guys to get out on the road).

  3. Uncle B

    Business is business! and you can sell the milk for cheese, and they reproduce themselves for free. Some of our ‘Cheap Oil’ modern ideas will naturally go by the wayside, as we slowly, with the rising price of oil, slide into the new paradigm, a cleaner more peaceful and humane place, with less pressure from the oil barons for our dollars and more time for life itself. Finally, an end in sight for our mad rush to the grave in an SUV, and time to live with our children and enjoy the arts! Good goats, good life, good cheese and milk and natural fertilizer too! I like it.

  4. Jacob S

    Funny thing is the picture is actually from Seattle, they had rented goats to clear off a half-acre or so area to the northeast of and across the street from the convention center. One of the people with me found it amusing that the goats are basically being paid to be fed.

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