NEWS RELEASE

June 20, 2018

For Immediate Release

Goats Arrive in Savannah to Clear Vegetation

SAVANNAH, GA (June 20, 2018) — The City of Savannah has welcomed a herd of 52 goats and two livestock guardian dogs as part of a pilot program to explore the cost effectiveness of using goats to control vegetation overgrowth.

The herd is currently contained within the ravine at Laurel Grove North Cemetery. They will be contained with fencing in the ravine for approximately 25 days before being transported to the Clinch Street Pond.

The steep slopes and low areas make the selected areas difficult and costly to maintain with mowing machines. Many public works departments across the world use ruminants successfully to maintain areas equipment has difficulty accessing.   

Get Your Goat Rentals is the name of the company selected through a competitive proposal process. They have years of experience with a number of Georgia municipalities and nonprofits.

“We know for the cemetery ravine that we will save money using goats compared to using contractors,” said Project Manager Laura Walker. “Using goats is also much more environmentally sensitive because were not having to run big diesel machines or use herbicides on the vegetation.”

The public is encouraged to visit the goats while they are working at the cemetery. Laurel Grove North Cemetery is open to the public from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM.