(Newswire.net — November 2, 2019) — A starving herd of 500 goats helped save Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library, located not far from Los Angeles, from the fires burning in California, the BBC reports.
In May, the library hired goats to clear the flammable shrubs around the complex for precaution. The goats ate it, creating a passage that slowed the spread of fires and allowed firefighters more time to extinguish the oncoming flames.
A library not far from Los Angeles was threatened by the Maria Fire, the latest in a series of fires that led to statewide evacuations and power outages.
The bovine contractors included Vincent van Goat, Selena Goatmez and Goatzart. They helped save exhibits including an Air Force One jet and a piece of the Berlin Wall.
“We were told by one of the firefighters that they believe that fire break made their job easier,” Melissa Giller, a library spokeswoman, told Reuters.
The goats were hired from the company 805 Goats to clear around 13 acres of land.
Scott Morris founded the company last November and charges about a thousand dollars per acre of land.
As California fires are becoming more common, Morris pointed out that he would have to double the flock to meet the demands.
Another major institution in southern California, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, was also rescued from a firestorm this week thanks to museum staff clearing the bushes surrounding it.
About 8,000 people were under evacuation orders for the Maria Fire, Sheriff Bill Ayub told reporters Friday afternoon. According to CBS News correspondent Carter Evans, the fast-moving blaze descended upon small agricultural communities known for their citrus orchards and avocado farms.
“We are in the middle of a big fight,” Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen told reporters Friday. He added that after a week of fight “the end is not yet in sight.”