Those flying out a San Francisco International Airport may have seen something funny on the ground as they took off. Goats are being used as the airport as a way of fire prevention.
More than 400 goats have been brought to the airport to eat the brush which could potentially cause fires. The brush located in a remote part of the airport needs to be cleared every spring to protect surrounding homes from fires. In an environmentally friendly approach, goats are being used to take care of it, the Associated Press reports.
The brush can't be taken care of by machines or humans because two endangered species live in the area such as the San Francisco garter snake and the California red-legged frog.
The airport turns to a company called Goats R Us, which provides the goats. The service cost the airport $14,900 this year. The airport has been using the service for five years.
"When passengers takeoff and fly over the goats, I'm sure that's a thrill," Terri Oyarzun, who owns and runs Goats R Us with her husband Egon and their son Zephyr told the Associated Press.
The goats, who all have names, like Mr. Fuzzy, Cookie, Mable, and Alice, travel 30 miles from Orinda, California each spring. They are transported to the airport in a 16-wheel truck. The goats spend two weeks chomping down on a 20-foot firebreak on the west side of the airport. They are controlled by a goat herder and a Border Collie named Toddy Lynn.
The goats aren't just used at the airport. They also clear brush on the side of California's freeways, at state parks, under long-distance electric line and other areas with overgrown plants. There are about 4,000 goats that are part of the service.
Adjusting to working at the airport wasn't easy as the sound of loud jets can be frightening.
"There was an adjustment period," Oyarzun said. "But they have a lot of confidence in their herder."
Now they might be used at other airports. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has placed a bid for the goats to clear brush at parts of the airport. They may be brought to the airport sometime this summer.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
