Goats: The New Weed Whackers?

Photo: Judy McPhail / Istock

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Los Angeles conjures images of movie sets, star-studded clubs, Rodeo Drive--and gardening goats?

It might now. A herd of 100 goats was hired by the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency to clear weeds from a brush-covered hillside lot.

According to the LA Times, agency officials said the goats were cheaper and more environmentally friendly than human workers with gas-powered weed whackers.

And more popular too; the paper reported commuters stopping in disbelief and snapping shots with their cell phones.

Redevelopment agency head Cecilia Estolano said in the article that the goats were being rented for $3,000, which is less than half what it would cost to hire workmen to clear the area.

Goat keeper George Gonzales, 71, joked in the article that his crew would work long hours over the next week and "won't collect a pension or charge for working overtime and won't call in sick."

Another advantage to the goats? While most of the South African Boer goats are female, the few males have been castrated to keep them focused on the job.

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