Firefighters in West Sacramento, California, have a not-so-secret weapon in their arsenal: goats. Lots and lots of goats.
The city regularly uses hundreds of goats to clear out weeds, high grass, and other dry brush that could easily go up in flames. The goats happily gobble everything up, creating environmentally-friendly fire breaks. Paul Hosely, the public information officer for West Sacramento, told CBS 13 that goats have been helping prevent fires in town for the last 10 years. "About 400 goats can clear two acres a day and get in places mowers can't reach," he said.
It's a program that's good for the goats and good for the firefighters, and it works — CBS 13 reports that the goats recently cleared underbrush near a housing complex, and when a blaze started in the area, their fire breaks kept the flames from going near homes.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
NASA is abandoning the climateThe Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Every MCU movie since 'Avengers: Endgame,' rankedThe Week Recommends How did the recent 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' stack up?
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
Experience the cool of these 11 stunning pools and lazy rivers this summerThe Week Recommends You'll want to dive right in
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
Not every hike has to wipe you out. These 7 treks are easy-breezy.The Week Recommends These trails won't leave you breathless
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
At these 6 gnarly spots, both surfers and onlookers can catch a waveThe Week Recommends Be a (sort of) part of the action
