UC - Berkeley brings in 500 goats to be ‘eco-friendly lawn mowers’

The goats are used to eat grass on hills outside of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The goats are transported in Goats R Us's "goat limousine."

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which is managed by the University of California - Berkeley, brought in 500 goats to be “eco-friendly lawn mowers” this month.

For the past 17 years, Berkeley Lab has brought goats from a local company called Goats R Us to eat grass on the hills outside of the building, according to an article published in The Daily Californian, the school’s official student newspaper.

Tom Price, maintenance supervisor of facilities at the lab, told the Californian that the goats’ grass-eating prevents wildfires.

“They do excellent work, and it’s almost impossible for humans to do the same work they’re doing with their everyday routine,” he said.

Goats R Us Manager Terri Oyarzun said all 500 goats are transported in one trip to the lab’s land in a “goat limousine.”

On average, the company charges $800 on per acre of land, but the price can vary. The Berkeley lab plot is 100 acres.

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