COBB COUNTY, Ga. — They have cleft hooves, furry coats, sharp horns and a shrill bleat -- and they're now considered Cobb County employees.
To help spearhead the laborious task of clearing brush and debris from retention ponds, Cobb PARKS officials have turned to grazing goats.
It's an experiment with a long timeline as the team of 18 goats takes its time nibbling away at weeds and overgrown grass.
Cobb PARKS said its four-legged team is trying out a new work detail and is currently on the job. The goats are clearing the area of a pond just outside of Sewell Park and have become a sort of tourist attraction at the nearby library munching away until they call it a day. People can catch them in action in the video below.
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The county believes the goats could be a cost-effective cleaning crew which frees up the two-handed humans to concentrate on park maintenance.
It's not a baaaad idea.
Though the goats may take a while to complete their tasks (or in their case, finish their meal) they don't really get that tired meaning human crews can coordinate other duties throughout the week.
Though they've been on the job, they're technically temporary employees. Whether Cobb County keeps the goats will be up to their clearing work. So far the goats are munching away to the county's satisfaction.
11Alive will check with the county at the end of the summer to follow-up and see if the goats will be a permanent fixture of its clearing detail.
