They are Baaack—Goats Join The Highlands Workforce

By TRILBY BERESFORD | Reporter

A trip (or tribe, or herd) of 143 Boer goats have returned to The Highlands, munching through wild brush to prepare Pacific Palisades for a hot summer. The sure-footed Capra hircus were unleashed above Palisades Drive by Environmental Land Management Goats of San Diego. Domino Realty, a Beverly Hills investment company, paid for the project, which was overseen by the fire department. The trip was due to depart for Anaheim around Wednesday, May 16, after a week of exercise above Palisades Drive.

According to ELM, goats are a cost effective, practical and environmentally friendly answer to brush management. Not to mention, a far more peaceful choice than subjecting the neighborhood to more machinery and trucks. Plus, they are dedicated to the task at hand—a trip of Boers, which retail for $1,000 for a pedigree buck, can clear an acre per day.

“They work around the clock; eat, sleep, work, 24 hours,” Johnny Gonzales, field operation manager at ELM, told the Palisadian-Post. “Also, the way that goats digest, it doesn’t come out viable to regrow,” he continued. Therefore, they are in high demand for fire prevention. Gonzales added that goats don’t have a build up of bacteria in their droppings, so they provide healthy fertilizer to the area.

The ages of these goats range from 8 months to 12 years old, but when the Post visited the enclosure, the star was an impossibly sweet two-day-old kid. Extra special, obviously, because of its Palisadian birth. All these goats were born and raised at the ELM headquarters, and they’ll work for their whole life at different locations. “To them, this is living,” Gonzales said. He emphasized their ability to adapt to different terrain and locations. “They’re so used to this environment and they like it.”

The goats, which are descended from South African stock, are given vaccinations and constantly monitored to maintain good health. To keep the goats safe from coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions, two fluffy dogs named Bob and Mercy protect them. They are a cross between Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherd, and very friendly.

Leo Arballo, who has been attending on these goats for six months, feeds them hay and alfalfa. As soon as he appears, the goats come rushing at full speed. Standing in the enclosure felt like being transported into a Pixar movie.

Gonzales noted that goats are browsers like deer; they eat a wide range of leaves, brush, weeds and grasses. They’re good at eating invasive plants and adapting to native plants. They should not eat azalea, yew and rhododendron.

Businesses in the Highlands Village center are enjoying the presence of these goats: It’s not every day a work environment turns into a farm. “A lot of brush needs to be cleared, they’re doing their thing,” said Andre Castrellon, manager at Taste on Palisades Drive.

For Mother’s Day weekend, the goats were brought down the hill for families to take advantage of closer photo opportunities. Children were encouraged to give them names. A pet name popular around the world, “Goaty McGoatface,” was not among them.

If you missed them, don’t worry. Enthusiasts can rent a goat from Party Goats LA from $70 an hour—they perform duties such as hiking companion, yoga partner and esteemed party guest.