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Fighting Fires­—One Bite at a Time

These goats are stopping wildfires by doing what comes naturally—eating everything in sight.

February 2021
by Talia Cowen and Tod Olson

MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images 

This famous library almost caught fire in 2019!

    In the fall of 2019, a wildfire swept through Simi Valley, California. Right in its path stood the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But the flames stopped 30 yards from the building. Millions of photographs, films, and audio tapes were saved. And the librarians had an unusual group of heroes to thank: 500 very hungry goats.

    How did a herd of goats help stop a wildfire? By doing what they do best: eating . . . and eating . . . and eating.

    Five months before the fire, the library brought in the goats. The hungry herd got to work eating bushes and grass. 

    Two weeks later, the goats left with full bellies. They had cleared an area the size of 10 football fields. When the fire arrived, there were fewer dry plants for it to burn. That made it easier for firefighters to protect the library.

    In the fall of 2019, a wildfire swept through Simi Valley, California. Right in its path stood the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. But the flames stopped 30 yards from the building. Millions of photos, films, and audio tapes were saved. And the librarians had some unusual heroes to thank: 500 hungry goats. 

    How did the goats help stop a wildfire? By doing what they do best: eating . . . and eating . . . and eating.

    Five months before the fire, the library brought in the goats. The herd started eating bushes and grass.

    Two weeks later, the goats left. They had cleared an area the size of 10 football fields. When the fire arrived, there were fewer dry plants to burn. That helped firefighters protect the library.

    In the fall of 2019, a wildfire swept through Simi Valley, California. Directly in its path stood the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Fortunately, the flames stopped 30 yards from the building. Millions of photographs, films, and audio tapes were saved. And the librarians had an unusual group of heroes to thank: 500 very hungry goats. 

    How did a herd of goats help stop a wildfire? By doing what they do best: eating . . . and eating . . . and eating.

    Five months before the fire, the library brought in the goats. The hungry herd got to work eating bushes and grass.

    By the time the goats left two weeks later, they had cleared an area the size of 10 football fields. When the fire arrived, there were fewer dry plants for it to burn—which made it easier for firefighters to protect the library.

Deadly Fires

    Wildfires have become a huge problem in recent years. Climate change has made summers longer, hotter, and drier. Bushes and trees die off and turn into fuel for fires. Strong winds blow flames into huge, fast-moving firestorms. On average, wildfires burn an area the size of Massachusetts every year. They destroy thousands of homes and cause billions of dollars in damage. 

    People are looking for ways to slow down these massive fires. Experts say it’s important to get rid of dry grasses, bushes, and trees. That can be done by humans with power tools. But goats are a cheaper, cleaner option.

    Lately, wildfires have become a big problem. Climate change has made summers longer, hotter, and drier. Bushes and trees die and become fuel for fires. The wind blows flames into fast-moving firestorms. On average, wildfires burn an area the size of Massachusetts every year. They destroy thousands of homes. They cause billions of dollars in damage.

    People work to slow down these fires. It helps to get rid of dry grasses, bushes, and trees. Humans can do this with power tools. But goats are a cheaper, cleaner choice.

    Wildfires have become a serious problem in recent years. Climate change has made summers longer, hotter, and drier. Bushes and trees die off and turn into fuel for fires. Strong winds blow flames into huge, fast-moving firestorms. On average, wildfires burn an area the size of Massachusetts every year. The fires destroy thousands of homes and cause billions of dollars in damage.

    In order to slow down these enormous fires, experts say, it’s important to get rid of dry grasses, bushes, and trees. Humans can accomplish this with power tools—but goats are a cleaner, less expensive option.

Clearing the Way

    Goats are great for this firefighting job. They can climb up the steepest hills. Their jaws are built to grind through tough leaves. They can eat just about anything without getting sick. And it takes a lot to fill them up. Each goat can eat about 10 pounds of plants a day.

    Some experts worry that the goats do their job too well. If they munch all the bushes on a hillside, it can cause mudslides in a rainstorm. And goats also like to eat tree bark. Too much snacking can kill the trees.

    But every fall, firefighters need all the help they can get. And goats need all the food they can find. 

    Sounds like a perfect match. 

    Goats are great for this type of firefighting work. They can climb up steep hills. Their jaws can grind through tough leaves. Goats can eat almost anything without getting sick. And it takes a lot to fill them up. Each goat can gobble up about 10 pounds of plants a day. 

    Some experts worry that the goats do their job too well. If they eat all the bushes on a hillside, it can cause mudslides in a rainstorm. And goats like to eat tree bark, which can be a problem. Too much snacking can kill the trees.

    But every fall, firefighters need a lot of help. And goats need a lot of food.

    Sounds like a great match. 

    Goats are extremely well suited for this type of firefighting work. They can climb up the steepest hills. Their jaws are built to grind through tough leaves. Goats can eat practically anything without getting sick, and it takes a lot to fill them up: Each goat can consume about 10 pounds of plants a day.

    Some experts worry that the goats do their job too thoroughly. If they munch all the bushes on a hillside, it can cause mudslides in a rainstorm. And goats also enjoy eating tree bark, which can kill the trees if they overdo it.

    But every autumn, firefighters need all the help they can get—and goats need all the food they can find.

    Sounds like an excellent match. 

Core Skills
Writing and Editing
Format
Weird But True
Topic
Science, Animals
Genre
Nonfiction
Content Type
Article
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