By Jaime Stephens

I knew little about goats until this past summer, when the news spread about the goat’s arrival in Alexandria. My experience with them had been limited to seeing them at the Texas State Fair, where 4-H kids showed their “kids” (young goats of either sex) while competing for first prize. I have subsequently studied about goats and find them fascinating. Goats can live well into their teens and are known for their adaptability, intelligence, and enduring relationships with humans, making them one of the most versatile and historically significant domesticated animals. Like cows, they have a four-chambered stomach that allows them to digest tough vegetation – kudzu, for example. They also have horizontal pupils that enable them to be on the lookout for predators while they graze.

Goats are herbivores and browsers, preferring to eat foliage, woody plants, and weeds that other livestock are unable to digest. There are over 300 breeds of goats and they can live up to 20 years, depending on the bread.

Goats are said to be able to distinguish whether other goats, as well as humans, are happy or sad. They also seek physical affection from the same. As of this writing, there are roughly 1 billion goats in the world.

The Tennessee fainting goat is a breed that carries a disorder that causes its muscles to remain rigidly locked after being frightened, forcing the goat to fall over until their muscles relax.

After a woman in Oregon invented “goat yoga” classes, which take place on her farm in the company of goats, it became so popular she had over 1200 students sign up. I’m now confident that I could do quite well when confronted with a Jeopardy “Goat” category. But my favorite fact about goats? They love to drink coffee!

While this issue of the Crier won’t be in print until early November, I started writing this article as I sat outside in Alexandria’s West End across the street from James Marx All Veterans Park. It was Labor Day, and I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the goats the next day. Goats, you might ask. If you didn’t hear about this, the City of Alexandria contracted for and brought a herd of between 35 and 40 goats, along with a few sheep, to deal with a job that human powered machines are unable to handle: clearing the steep and rocky terrain of vegetation overgrowth located on the banks of Holmes Run. Goats can climb near vertical surfaces thanks to their uniquely structured hooves with soft pads and split toes that grip rock with amazing precision.

Known as “targeted grazing”, this is a popular way of clearing the ground of unwanted vegetation and brush – in this case – kudzu. Kudzu is a fast‑growing, invasive perennial vine (Pueraria montane) native to East and Southeast Asia, known for spreading rapidly—up to 30 cm (12 inches) per day—and overtaking trees, structures, and native vegetation. It is invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America. The vine climbs over other plants and trees and grows so rapidly that it smothers and kills them by blocking most of the sunlight and overtaking root space.

The sheep and goats arrived the following day and were scheduled to spend between eight and ten days taking care of business. Since I work from home and live across the street from their workplace, I was able to visit the goats and sheep a couple of times each day. Never did I see them not busily chewing – they were quiet, orderly, and working very efficiently. While onsite, the goats and sheep focused solely on eating the invasive vegetation present. That’s what allowed them to clear out the vegetation so quickly, after only five days, much to my dismay. The goats had a job to do and they clearly took it seriously.

According to Katrina Napora, Natural Resources Manager with the City of Alexandria, “The animals cleared approximately one-quarter of an acre covered in invasive kudzu. There were a couple of spots they were unable to reach at the tops due to the wood brush, but everything else was completely denuded of leaves.” As a frequent visitor to the park, and as I saw after the goats departed, I can attest to that.

Using livestock to manipulate vegetation is as old as grazing itself. Promoting grazing to manage vegetation as a paid service is a more recent practice. As targeted grazing has gained a foothold in the land management arena, both research and experience have evolved to provide land managers and grazing service providers with more definitive tools for managing vegetation.

Was the program successful? According to Ms. Napora, “We’re evaluating this project on three metrics: the ecological success (how good were the goats at removing the invasive species, and what kind of native regeneration do we have as a result), the operational success (how cost effective and efficient was this method compared to our traditional invasive management techniques) and community engagement success (what is the positive community impact this pilot has on broader awareness of invasive management in the City of Alexandria). Articles like the one for the Old Town Crier fall under that third category – more people are learning what invasives are that might not have even known it exists!”

About the Author: Jaime Stephens lives in Alexandria with her husband and cats.

References:

Ms. Katrina Napora, Natural Resources Manager, City of Alexandria

https://www.alexandriava.gov/parks/natural-resources

https://www.alexandriava.gov/news-rpca/2026-08-21/goats-have-arrived-in-alexandria

https://www.bbcearth.com/factfiles/animals/mammals/goat
36 Unique and Fascinating Goat Facts | FactRetriever

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