'Goatscaping' Program Providing Much-Needed Jobs to Boston's Goats

Add Boston to the list of places deploying goats as gardeners (of a sort).

The Boston Globe reports that a pilot program last summer did so well that goats are being recruited once more, with reinforcements. “Because of the success last year, we decided to continue the Goatscaping program,” said Parks and Rec spokesman Ryan Woods. “It was a dreary-looking space filled with poison ivy. Six weeks later it was an opened-up field.” Good job, goats. Operation Goatscaping is a go.

Some goats will return to last year’s site to finish the job, while others will be dispatched to a golf course. “Bringing in the goats will let us open those areas up, and we won’t have the noise from the heavy machinery,” added Woods. Goats: silent, but effective. Even better, you might be able to catch a glimpse of them.

People golfing on the city-owned course will be able to see the goats munching on bramble, but they will be separated from the animals by solar-powered electric fences.

On July 31, when the first group of goats finishes up at the urban wild, they will join the goats at the golf course, bringing the total to 12 ivy-eliminating animals working in unison.

Just remember the goats are there to work, okay? You wouldn’t like it very much if people came to your job to rubberneck.