Over the next 10 days, 273 goats can be seen scattered across Regina’s Wascana Hill to feast on invasive weeds.
For a third year in a row, self-described goat shepherd Florentine Maathius of No Kidding Weed Management brings her four-legged friends to Regina from Elbow, Sask.
“We can already see an increase of biodiversity,” she said. “Invasive species (is what) we’re trying to eliminate and reduce.”
Weed-eating goats offer a natural solution to weed control as they tend to eat invasive vegetation like clover, alfalfa and thistle on natural prairie grasses. This has attracted curious locals who brought their little ones to Wascana Hill to observe.
“I think they are doing a good job,” onlooker Spencer Runge said. “They cleaned it up pretty good. They eat a lot of weeds. They got a lot of work to do though.”
Maathius said the goats will return for a second graze in July.