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Council Bluffs welcomes goats to Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park

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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — The City of Council Bluffs has a new group of four-legged seasonal employees.

The city is using 55 goats to clear vegetation on the Riverfront at Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park.

They're working on a four-acre section and it should take them 15 to 20 days to finish their work.

But why goats?

“The goats will do a great job initially and it's about half the cost of hiring a contractor. Also, with the start of the spring season, our internal folks are very busy doing other things and have other priorities. So this was just a good time to try this, ”said Vincent Martorello, Parks and Recreation Director of Council Bluffs.

The goats are also eco-friendly and eat about 4% of their body weight each day.

They eliminate the need for spraying herbicides and mowing, which helps to reduce fossil fuels and CO2 emissions.

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