An overgrown Hyde Park lot is becoming dinner for some lucky – and hopefully hungry – farm animals: goats are being brought in to eat the poison ivy that has taken over the space.

Southwest Boston Community Development Corporation’s Patricia Alvarez told WBZ that West Street Urban Wild had “so much poison ivy, it is unsafe for the youths.’’

But it is safe for goats, Alvarez said. In fact, “they love it. It’s like candy.’’ Yum!

The goats are being provided by a Plymouth company that specializes in hungry goat rentals as an alternative to doing the yard work yourself or using chemicals, according to Boston Magazine. For the next eight weeks, four goats will be fenced in the lot and allowed to go to town on the toxic (to us) treats. Anyone may stop by to watch the goats in action, but visitors are being asked not to pet the goats, and especially not to feed them. They have work to do.


NECN noted that after eating the plants, the goats will “deposit a clean natural fertilizer back into the landscape.’’ So while your kids won’t be rolling in poison ivy, they might come in contact with a little bit of goat poop.