Eight lucky goats have a dream job: eating for a living.
On Monday, the herd will make their debut at Prospect Park, where they will spend the summer munching on invasive plants — such as poison ivy and English ivy — that have overwhelmed the Vale of Cashmere.
One of Brooklyn’s last remaining forests, the vale was heavily damaged during Hurricane Sandy.
The goats are owned by Larry and Anna Cihanek of Rhinebeck, NY. The couple currently house 170 goats on their property — all of which were donated from area dairy farms and petting zoos after a devastating fire killed 100 of the Cihaneks’ horned creatures last year. They’ve previously rented their goats out for grazing at Pelham Bay Park and Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. For their goats’ work this summer, they’re being paid $15,000 by the Prospect Park Alliance.
Leading the herd is Zoya, a bossy 9-year-old who survived a mountain lion attack a few years back. She’s joined by Olivia, her daughter, and Max and Charlie Brown, a frisky pair of brothers.
“[Charlie Brown’s] always trying to eat my hair. He’s a hot mess, but he’s the sweetest,” says Anna of the Oberhasli breed goat.
There’s also Diego, who hails from a dairy farm in Maine and whom Anna describes as a “loner who does his own thing.”
The “naughtiest” of the bunch is Raptor, a LaMancha goat with short ears who likes to eat breath mints. Rounding out the group is Skittles, a male Alpine goat, and Reese, a female pygmy. “I chose different breeds that would be visually interesting and represent the breeds that we have,” says Anna.
The goats will be penned in behind an 8-foot-tall fence near the Zucker Natural Exploration Area. Park staff will check on the goats during the day and provide water, but feeding them isn’t necessary, as it would actually interfere with their job. And while there’s no shelter for them to sleep in, the trees in the park provide plenty of cover.
But parkgoers, be warned: Petting the goats is strictly forbidden, as poison ivy oil will rub off on them as they graze through weeds. Fans can instead watch them from the other side of the fence, and the park will be hosting a “bleat-and-greet” on May 22 that will include a free goat milk ice cream-making session.
The Cihaneks are thrilled their goats were selected for Prospect Park, and feel it will benefit both the animals and park visitors.
“We’ve had people who didn’t even know what animals they were,” says Anna with a laugh.
“These goats have spent most of their lives in a barn waiting to be milked; that was their purpose. So I’m excited that the goats get to be goats. They get to graze and be in nature as intended.”