Goats on Bunker Hill -- another Monday in downtown L.A.

The denizens of the Bunker Hill high-rises can be excused from doing a double-take this morning as some new workers joined them in downtown Los Angeles. These workers are goats -- 100 of the bearded variety. The Community Redevelopment Agency brought the animals in the to chew on weeds and brush on a steep portion of Angels Knoll.

The Times' Bob Pool was there and will have a full report soon. But Bob says people came out of the subway exit at 4th and Hill to a sea of goats on the hill above. Many took out their cellphone cameras and snapped away.

Vicky Bravo, a student who lives near downtown Los Angeles, told Bob she intended to e-mail her photos around to friends. "My friends won't believe it unless they see it," she said.

Someone even suggested turning on the "Sound of Music" soundtrack.

The goats will be in downtown for two weeks. According to the CRA, goats are cheaper for brush clearance than humans -- $3,000 compared with $7,500.

The goats are from Corona and will stay in downtown overnight, with a herdsman and private security, according to the CRA.

-- Shelby Grad

Comments

[Darrin Spang]

This Outsourcing Outrage must be stopped! I'm sick and tired of seeing American jobs being outsourced, leaving hard working Americans jobless and on the public dole.

On top of that, these workers are getting free room and board, plus medical treatment, courtesy of the US Taxpayer!

I say send these weed eating job takers back to where they came from!!

Go USA!!

[oakmonster]

Goatscaping!

Wonder if we can see them through the binoculars from atop a downtown skyscraper...

[Kathy Skelly]

What a delightful article and set of photos. Also, this is not the same Bunker Hill I heard of in the history books! These pictures give new perspective on the Battle of Bunker Hill.

[Maria]

AWESOME! No pesticides, happy goats...what more can a city girl want? Kudos LA!

[gina]

Now this is the most smartest,educated solution to a simple problem. Very good scholars. it don't take some poluting machine to take care of this problem. we need more people that think out of the box more offen. Love the planet.

[Cassiopoea]

Could you please provide us with information on how to hire these brush clearance goats ourselves? I have a small plot of land in Montecito Heights and I have to do fire preventative brush clearance every year -- goats would be a perfect solution!

Is there someone at the city who would need to be contacted for permits?

Thank you!

[downtown guy]

So... are going to spend that $7,500 to clean up the "mess" the goats leave behind? Or any fraction of that for Andy Gumps??

[la schiva]

hooray for l.a.!
forward thinking is going back to basics.

[Amanda]

This is re "Downtown Guy" (So... are going to spend that $7,500 to clean up the "mess" the goats leave behind? Or any fraction of that for Andy Gumps??):

The "mess" is called "fertilizer" and it's far superior to the stuff in the store. Also, it's free :)

Ex-farmer Amanda

[Penny Dreadful]

No pollution, free fertilizer, no noisy weed eaters, this is a great solution to a very common problem. I read a while back about people using miniature sheep to control weeds in Sonoma county. Goats will stand on their hind legs and eat anything they can reach, but sheep eat at ground level; so they won't eat the grapes. Simple and beautiful solution.

[Dubby]

Goats ain't so green after all. Rumor has it they damaged if not killed a bunch of trees by stripping off their bark at this site. Will the contractor be required back to replant - I doubt it.

There is also a lot of concern about goats being vectors for weeds as they move from site to site with weed seed in their gut and on their fur.

Goats don't spew exhaust like mowers do, but weeds are pollution too.

http://www.cal-ipc.org/resources/pdf/BioPollution.pdf