The city of Salem is firing its goat squad tasked with eradicating invasive species after the animals ate the native vegetation, too

An Oregon city’s experiment to outsource the removal of invasive vegetation to goats has backfired after the hoofed animals went on a damaging rampage.



A 75-strong team of goats were deployed by the city of Salem to gorge themselves on plants such as Armenian blackberry and English ivy that were crowding out native vegetation in the city’s Minto-Brown Island Park.

But the ambitious pilot project, launched last October, hasn’t proved to be the groundbreaking conservation success first imagined, according to a report submitted by Salem’s public works department.

The report states that it cost nearly $21,000 to use the goats to graze a 23-hectare (9-acre) area of the park, which was “more expensive than mowing or using inmate crews” by a considerable margin. There were other problems aside from the cost, however.

While the goats successfully munched their way through invasive ivy, the animals went rogue and marauded their way through “native shrubs, tree bark, leaves and most other types of vegetation”.

“The goats were not selective in what they ate, devouring native plants along with invasives,” the report said. “Determining suitable locations for goats must be carefully considered should this practice be used in future.”

The presence of the goat squad would’ve been more warmly welcomed by the public were it not for the smell associated when keeping 75 ungulates in close quarters.

“The goats were almost universally welcomed by park users as a pleasant, pastoral addition to the scenery,” the report said. “The area, however, had a barnyard aroma during the time the goats were present.”

Salem now plans to use goats in more specialist missions, such as trimming vegetation on steep slopes or embankments where it’s difficult to use mowing equipment. But the idea of establishing them in parks has been shelved.

“We made it clear at the council meeting that we would not say we would never use goats again,” Mark Becktel, public works operations manager for the city of Salem, told the Statesman Journal. “We consider them a special tool in our toolbox. But you’re not going to see large numbers of happily grazing goats in our park system anytime soon.”