The twenty-four goats brought by the Riverside Park Conservancy to tackle the park's invasive plants are finally here–and hungry.
At a festive inaugural event today packed with local politicians, residents, schoolchildren and reporters, the goats were introduced to the public–some by their names, like Carmella–then released into the park, quickly finding much to munch on.
The herd will roam a fenced-in stretch of Riverside Park from approximately 119th to 125th Streets, eating weeds like Poison Ivy and Mugwort down to their roots.
Dan Garodnick, President of Riverside Park Conservancy, told Eyewitness News, "It's like treating them to an all-you-can-eat-buffet. It's healthy for the goats and good for the environment."
Already the subject of a New Yorker profile, the retired goats, which come from a local farm in Rhinebeck, NY, have become instant celebrities. Reporters at the park were scrambling to capture their every move, and the Conservancy said more than 1,000 people attended the event.
But it will be up to the public to decide which member of the herd is the G.O.A.T. You have until the last day of their residency, August 30, to vote for your favorite online.
