Here's a happier goat story, unless you happen to be a dry-brush advocate ...
Firefighter Mascot Is a Goat
MONROVIA, Calif. (AP) - So much for Dalmatians. Firefighters near the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains have a goat as a mascot.
Two days after the City Council voted to consider using goats to keep flammable dry brush in check, an abandoned baby goat appeared Thursday on the steps of the public library. The fire chief took it home.
``I don't know if it's a prank, but this thing is so cute,'' said Chief Mike DiGiovanna. ``Everyone has fallen in love with it.''
Not that taking care of a goat is easy. After spending a day with the animal, DiGiovanna said he has newfound respect for single mothers.
``This little girl is work. She cries, and I have to hold her. I have laundry going and the phone keeps ringing. I don't know how to do all this,'' he said.
Several California cities bordering dry hills have used goats to nibble away dry brush, including Laguna Beach, Malibu, Claremont and San Luis Obispo. It's not certain if Monrovia, 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles, will eventually use goats to keep brush in check.
``Some people have brought to the chief's attention that the goats might eat flora and fauna that are endangered,'' said City Clerk Linda Proctor.
On Tuesday, the City Council voted to spend $45,000 to study the feasibility of putting goats in Ruby Canyon, where vegetation has not burned in 50 years. |
