This past fountain , the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley , California , decided to prepare for the possibility of wildfires by clearing flammable brush around the margin . Instead of dousing it in weedkiller or preemptively burning it out with controlled fire , they simply ushered in 500 very hungry goats .
According toSmithsonian.com , Vincent Van Goat , Selena Goatmez , and other aptly named ungulates are part of a service called 805 Goats , which offer a more cost - efficient and eco - friendly method of clear land by which herds of butt use up every plant in sight .
Now surrounded by barren land , the institution watched several months pass without a fire — until last Wednesday , when depository library conservator Randle Swan arrived on the assumption and spotted California ’s Easy Fire not too far off . He latertoldNBC Los Angeles that they had really project an hand brake drill for that day .
CNNreportsthat although Simi Valley constabulary mandated evacuation , some security department workers , the depository library conductor , the installation manager , and the heading conservator all stay on web site to gird artifact against the approaching hell . Along with records fromReagan’spolitical career , the library contains Nancy Reagan ’s wedding band , garb , and many other personal belongings . The tomb of both Reagans are also on the ground .
Firefighting aircrafts and trucks steady soaked the orbit with water in an seek to stave in off creeping fire .
" It ’s a pretty bad position here , there ’s never been fires this close to the library , " the depository library ’s executive conductor John Heubusch toldKTLA . " It ’s a place of national hoarded wealth , and the flames are licking right up against it . "
Both the parking lot and the heroic effort of firefighters undoubtedly kept the wildfires from reaching the library and museum , but the goats ’ earlier endeavor emphatically did n’t go unacknowledged .
“ One of the fire fighter mentioned that they do trust the goats ’ attack line helped them agitate this fervor , ” library spokesperson Melissa Giller told CNN . “ They just prove today how useful they really are . ”
And they could n’t have done it without their epic four - chamber stomachs — find out more about that and other awesome goat factshere .
[ h / tSmithsonian ]
