Goats are taking over San Francisco. Well, at least it seems that way.
Hundreds of goats have descended upon the Presidio Golf Course to chew their way through four acres of dense brush, allowing native grasses to flourish and making it a little easier for golfers to find those wayward balls.
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Almost three hundred Boer goats arrived at the Presidio Club on Tuesday to begin work. Over the next two weeks they will munch through thickets of blackberries and hemlock near the first hole of the course, as well as in a wetland area near the fourth.
“These areas are very overgrown. They’ve never been manicured. They’re impossible to access with lawnmowers," Dana Polk, a spokeswoman for Presidio Trust told CBS San Francisco."
As the goats feast, they will also leave behind natural fertilizers and expose serpentine soil. Golf course officials hope this will uncover long-buried seeds and allow native grasses and wildflowers to sprout.
The natural lawnmowers are part of a larger attempt to upgrade the Presidio Golf Course. Allowing native grasses to grow on the bunkers gives the course a wilder look, raises the difficulty of the hole, and allows maintenance to cut back on pesticide use.
Still, the goats should not interrupt normal play at the course. They are accompanied by goatherds and a herding dog, and will range over their assignment in large moveable wire pens as needed, reported Curbed SF.
The Presidio Golf Cours is only the latest San Francisco business to employ goats on their pastures. In July, The Huffington Post reported that Google, the Exploratorium, San Francisco International Airport and the San Francisco Railroad tracks have all employed the local business, City Grazing, to keep their weeds in check.
A small group of goat ambassadors will be available in a “petting zoo” near the clubhouse. Drop by with the kids to meet and feed these hard workers!
Scroll through the slideshow below to see the adorable animals at work:
