The goats �ighting �ires in Los Angeles

Grazing goats are becoming a common sight in Los Angeles – can this ancient solution
to wild�ires really prevent ever bigger, �iercer blazes? It's a typical Los Angeles scene: the Paci�ic
Ocean sparkling under a crystal-clear, bright blue sky, with miles of golden sandy beaches
stretching as far as the eye can see. There's also a herd of goats precariously perched on a
clifftop, enjoying the multimillion-dollar view.

These aren't just any goats, though – they're California's new secret weapon in the �ight
against wild�ires, and they're being put out to graze across the state. "The reception is
overwhelmingly positive wherever we go," says goat herder Michael Choi. "It's a win-win
scenario as far as I can tell." Choi runs Fire Grazers Inc, a family business which leases goats to
city agencies, schools and private clients to clear brush from hillsides and terrain that's hard to
access.
The company has 700 goats, and they recently had to expand their herd to keep up with
demand. "I think as people get more aware of the idea, and environmental impact, they become
more conscious about which methods they want to use for clearing weeds and protecting the
landscape from �ires. So, there's de�initely a bigger demand, and it's a growing trend," he says.

California has been at the epicentre of battling wild�ires, which have become more
frequent, more destructive, and larger, since 1980. In 2021, California faced "unprecedented"
�ire conditions, according to CalFire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the
state's �ire agency), with one �ire alone burning more than 960,000 acres (3,885 sq km).
Well-timed rainfall can bring some relief, even as the wider situation remains severe.
The wild�ire season in 2022 was described as a "mild" for the state – more than 300,000 acres
(1,214 sq km) burned compared to the �ive-year average of 2.3 million acres (9,307 sq km).
This year, August was cooler and wetter than average in California. Still, more than a quarter of
a million acres have burned, and four people have died.
Factors such as hotter, drier conditions due to climate change are key drivers in
increasing the risk and severity of the �ires, research shows. But there are also studies
suggesting that land management can play an important role, as the build-up of dead trees and
dry shrubs creates dangerous fuel that can lead to big, severe �ires. Land managers traditionally
relied on herbicide and manual labour to thin out brush and reduce dry fuel, but agencies and
city of�icials are also trying out other, potentially more sustainable and cost-effective methods
– such as goats.
"Goats are especially useful in places like California and the Mediterranean because of
the shrubs – goats are very well equipped for that, they have the right mouths," says Karen
Launchbaugh, an ecology professor at the University of Idaho who has conducted multiple
studies on sheep, goat and cattle grazing. "They're just designed to eat shrubs."

Unlike other ungulates, goats have narrow, deep mouths which allows them to
selectively harvest woody shrubs. They stand on hind legs to graze at an average height of 6.7ft
(2m), and have dexterous tongues and lips. "They also have the ability to detoxify compounds
and so they can eat poisonous plants," Launchbaugh adds.

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 Launchbaugh says she's seeing more city of�icials and land managers open to trying
goats as a new method of mitigating wild�ire risk. "I'm excited because when we started
researching this, we didn't know where it was going to go. And now there's enough work for
people making a living out of being a grazer – and cities and counties are willing to pay for it
because they know it makes a difference."

Goats have insatiable appetites, and devour weeds, bushes, low hanging leaves, and dry
brush – all of which are fuel for �ires. California's wild�ire preparedness guidelines instruct
residents to remove all dead vegetation, and mow grass down to four inches (10cm) –
everything a goat would do naturally, enthusiastically, and without being reminded. Goats also
are unperturbed grazing away in triple digit heat [100F/37.7C and above], and have no
problem scaling steep mountainsides which can be dif�icult to access for labourers.

"Goats are natural mountaineers. They can climb up steep hills with no problem, they
get all into the nooks and crannies that would normally be very dif�icult for people, and they
eat almost everything," says Choi. h.

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 Fill in the Blank With Appropriate Meaning!

1. Insantiable :
2. Mitigating :
3. Steep :
4. Severe :
5. Suggesting :
6. Sparkling :
7. Stretching :
8. Launchbaugh :
9. Herbicide :
10. Unperturbed :
11. Conscious :
12. Enthusiastically :
13. Vegetation :
14. Devour :
15. Resident :
16. Impact :
17. Frequent :
18. Unprecendeted :
19. Shrubs :
20. Ungulate :
21. Fiercer :
22. Precariously :
23. Grazing :
24. Selectively :
25. Dexterous :

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