A girl feeds a goat a piece of cabbage during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
College officials pet a baby goat during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A college official cradles a baby goat during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A goat is fed a carrot during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Students, faculty and residents visit a group of goats during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A goat raises its head at a piece of cabbage during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A boy is handed a baby goat during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A girl holds out a piece of cabbage for a goat during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A woman pets a goat during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A boy drops leaves of cabbages to a group of goats during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A goat is fed a carrot during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
A goat is fed a carrot during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
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A girl feeds a goat a piece of cabbage during a meet-and-greet event for the animals at Rio Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31. The goats were contracted by the college to graze the brush to help reduce wildfire risks. (Photo by Raphael Richardson, Contributing Photographer)
Wild goats roamed the campus at Río Hondo College on Wednesday, July 31.
No, they weren’t enrolling for horticulture classes. They were just clocking in for their a new professional gig: Eating.
The goats were released on campus on July 18 for their two-week assignment, all part of the community college’s vegetation management and fire-prevention program.
Under the watchful eyes of a professional shepherd and a border collie from Fire Grazers Inc., a fire brush management company, the goats will feast on much of the growth that emerged on campus after a particularly rainy winter.
“Goat grazing is a proven, ecologically sound means of brushfire clearing as goats are natural mountaineers that can easily clear difficult-to-access areas, like hillsides or steep slopes, in far less time than a professional landscaping crew,” according to a statement from the company.
Faculty, students and the media got a chance to get acquainted with the herd during a special “meet, greet, bleat and all you can eat” session on Wednesday.
