World News for Students of English

18-06-2021 15:00

Landowners in California, US, are turning to herds of goats as a unique, environmentally-friendly tool to clear debris.

Goats clear away brush that could become fuel for fires, and they eat a lot. A single 45-kilogram goat can chow down 5.5 kilograms of brush in a day, so a herd of about 560 adult goats can clear about 3,000 kilograms.

At Mike Canada’s California ranch, there are about 10,000 sheep and goats who wait for their turn to ride the trailer to their latest deployment. With wildfires intensifying in recent years, Mike’s business is booming. Goats can stretch their necks up to 2 meters, biting branches and low-lying leaves. They eat poison oak, and they can clear rocky cliffs, which is something livestock cannot do.

Hundreds of public agencies, businesses, and private owners across the state have turned to these goats because it’s much easier than mowing or using chemicals. A lot of food for a goat is a lifesaving tool for humans.

Difficult words: debris (things which you need to clean), chow down (to eat a lot), deployment (the movement of people or equipment to a place for action).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.