Goats have reprised their roles as four-legged firefighters at the Universal Studios Lot.
The goats are back for a second year in a row at the property in Universal City, helping to clear hundreds of acres of brush-covered hillsides in a key part of fire prevention.
“Fire management here is one of our top priorities,” said Bryce Mason, senior vice president of facilities and administration. “We have a whole fire prevention team. And, we’ve got 400 acres here we’re trying to manage of hillsides and brush and trees.”
The goats just do what they do best — eat, a lot.
“We call them our goat-scapers, our landscapers and our vendors all out here together,” Mason said.
The multi-phase approach involves deploying the goats to chew away on brush up to a certain height. A team of landscapers follows behind to handle larger brush and low branches
The process itself comes with a lower fire risk than some other methods.
“Anytime you have gas-powered equipment, spark plugs and gasoline and rocks getting flipped around, there’s a chance for danger,” said Jorden Anderson, senior director of facilities and engineering. “With these guys, we obviously don’t have any of those same issues.”
Hillside management also helps some of the natural plants and grasses regain territory.
Michael Choi and his brothers own the business Fire Grazers, which was passed down from their father. Thirty goats have been born on the Universal Studios Lot, helping to grow the business.
“Every year, it gets more busy and the herd grows exponentially,” Choi said.
Two guard dogs, Noni and Joy, protect the herd of 500 from coyotes and other threats. The dogs are usually on patrol all night, taking time off during daylight hours for well-earned naps.
In about a month, the goats grazed 77 acres of brush, eating thousands of pound of potential fire fuel each day.