Overgrown vegetation no match for SDOT’s eco-friendly contractors … goats!
Sep 28, 2022, 6:14 PM
(Photo by Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images)
(Photo by Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Goats are becoming very popular as cost-efficient contractors in the city of Seattle.
For the past 15 years, Seattle’s Department of Transportation has been hiring goats to clear out overgrown vegetation. The goats are hired in from Vashon Island’s Rent-A-Ruminant, according to SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson.
“We use the goats because they can reach steep areas our crews and equipment can’t,” Bergerson said. “They are an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to control vegetation on public land.”
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The goats are also really good at eating all of the Himalayan blackberries that grow wild in the city. According to Bergerson, goats have four stomachs and can ingest a lot of undergrowth, including thorns.
This past week, the goats were contracted to clear out vegetation under the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge.
You can check out the video from KIRO Newsradio’s Laura Scott, who was able to see the goats as they worked.
The goats are on furlough until next summer. However, rest assured, they will be baaccckkkk!
