The City of Toronto said it used prescribed goat grazing to help maintain the urban meadow at Don Valley Brick Works Park. Urban meadows are important ecosystems that help increase habitat diversity in Toronto, according to a press release. Prescribed grazing is the practice of using livestock to address issues such as invasive, non-native, or non-compatible plant species; woody vegetation encroachment; and soil improvement. The City of Toronto confirmed about 40 goats grazed for two-and-a-half days, which was aimed at protecting and maintaining the meadow habitat at Don Valley Brick Works Park. It said the safety and welfare of the goats, the public, and staff was of the utmost importance during the pilot project. The goats were provided a secure enclosure, where they could graze in a herd. They were never used for purposes other than grazing and were always provided direct access to water and shelter, with 24-hour supervision and on-call veterinary care while in Don Valley Brick Works Park. To explore outcomes and measurable benefits over time, the City of Toronto said it has partnered with the Toronto Field Naturalists to develop a monitoring protocol, which will assess conditions before and after grazing. If the pilot is deemed successful, it said it will consider bringing the goats back to it in future years for rotational grazing. Enbridge said in August it was taking its recruitment drive to new levels after it deployed a herd of goats to control invasive plant species along its pipeline route in northeastern British Columbia.READ MORE: ACTING THE GOAT: Enbridge resorts to critters to clear pipeline right of waysAbout 30 of the goats had been deployed to Pine Pass to forage on hard-to-reach weeds on Enbridge’s natural gas system.Enbridge officials said they are more effective than weed whackers or herbicides. They happen to be the world’s best animals for grazing because they eat any vegetation coming their way.
The City of Toronto said it used prescribed goat grazing to help maintain the urban meadow at Don Valley Brick Works Park. Urban meadows are important ecosystems that help increase habitat diversity in Toronto, according to a press release. Prescribed grazing is the practice of using livestock to address issues such as invasive, non-native, or non-compatible plant species; woody vegetation encroachment; and soil improvement. The City of Toronto confirmed about 40 goats grazed for two-and-a-half days, which was aimed at protecting and maintaining the meadow habitat at Don Valley Brick Works Park. It said the safety and welfare of the goats, the public, and staff was of the utmost importance during the pilot project. The goats were provided a secure enclosure, where they could graze in a herd. They were never used for purposes other than grazing and were always provided direct access to water and shelter, with 24-hour supervision and on-call veterinary care while in Don Valley Brick Works Park. To explore outcomes and measurable benefits over time, the City of Toronto said it has partnered with the Toronto Field Naturalists to develop a monitoring protocol, which will assess conditions before and after grazing. If the pilot is deemed successful, it said it will consider bringing the goats back to it in future years for rotational grazing. Enbridge said in August it was taking its recruitment drive to new levels after it deployed a herd of goats to control invasive plant species along its pipeline route in northeastern British Columbia.READ MORE: ACTING THE GOAT: Enbridge resorts to critters to clear pipeline right of waysAbout 30 of the goats had been deployed to Pine Pass to forage on hard-to-reach weeds on Enbridge’s natural gas system.Enbridge officials said they are more effective than weed whackers or herbicides. They happen to be the world’s best animals for grazing because they eat any vegetation coming their way.
