Goats are serving to SDG&E stop wildfires. Right here's how

CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Goats in San Diego are performing as firefighters. How? They’re serving to clear dry brush that might gas wildfires.

Did you see goats round Chula Vista on Friday? That’s as a result of San Diego Gasoline & Electrical’s (SDG&E) four-legged wildfire-fighting companions have been grazing round Metropolis of Chula Vista neighborhoods.

The pilot program started in 2021, a part of SDG&E’s Brush Abatement Program. The fuel and electrical firm is using the goats’ pure grazing capacity to clear dry vegetation to assist stop wildfires.

Managed by skilled herders, the goats graze in areas of SDG&E-owned transmission corridors in Chula Vista, Oceanside and Escondido. The corporate says different areas are additionally being thought of. 

“Implementing various ideas to cut back flammable fuels inside our transmission areas is a testomony to our dedication to neighborhood security and environmental stewardship,” SDG&E Program Supervisor William Click on stated in a information launch. “These goats are nature’s pure firefighters and because of their grazing conduct and digestive course of, vegetation development is decreased or thinned, decreasing future abatement wants.”

Goats have a singular capacity to selectively goal invasive and fire-prone crops, resembling extremely flammable grasses, chaparral and brush, in response to SDG&E. Their digestive system additionally reduces or neutralizes the unfold of seeds.

“The comb abatement goat program has been instrumental in decreasing the specter of wildfires in our area. The goats not solely present an efficient resolution for vegetation administration but in addition contribute to soil well being and promote biodiversity. It’s a win-win scenario for each wildfire prevention and environmental conservation,” Click on continued.

The environmental-friendly brush clearing efforts have been watched by curious onlookers throughout town on Friday.