ATLANTA — The Georgia World Congress Center has brought in a herd of goats to clear a grassy hillside just west of downtown.
"We bring 'em out, we set up our fencing and let 'em go at it," said goat owner Michael Swanson of Get Your Goat Rentals. "Poison ivy, poison oak, privet, kudzu; they like all that stuff," he said.
Protected by an electric fence and a guard dog, the goat herd is clearing an acre-sized hillside off Ivan Allen Boulevard.
"We've been trying to make a stronger environmental effort on our part and this was just one way to reduce our environmental footprint," said GWCC sustainability manager Tim Trefzer.
The goats burn no fuel and cost less money.
"Compared to what we have normally done, using a landscaping contractor, this is about half the price," he said of the $850 rental fee.
Channel 2's Jim Strickland found a second Swanson herd clearing land for the seven acre Riverside Park in Northwest Atlanta.
"Prior to the goats being here you couldn't walk 10 feet through the jungle of kudzu," said volunteer Keith Sharp.
Private donations paid for the goats working the park land, but park advocates are hoping for a public grant to fund more goats to chew up 90 additional acres.
The GWCC expects the animals back every six months.
"I think it really helps the environment, they leave a little fertilizer on the way out and it's all good," said Swanson.