18 Happy Goats Are Moving Into Poughkeepsie For Special Reason

They're cute, they're hungry, and after their four week stay in Poughkeepsie, these Hudson Valley goats will be happier than ever.

Sometimes, technology is the best way to get a job done. Bridge inspections, for instance, often require special tools (and special trucks). Bridge maintenance, however, especially on the ground, is often handled by a more traditional method.

Goats Are Headed Back to the Walkway Over the Hudson

"The Bridge Authority’s 4-Legged Contractors are Back!", began a recent post from New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) on Facebook (below). The contractors in question have all the necessary qualifications, specifically an appetite for some unsavory plants.

Goats Doing Plant Maintenance in Poughkeepsie, NY

The 18 goats, which come from Green Goats, a business in Rhinebeck, NY that specifically provides goats for plant management, will be kept underneath the Walkway Over the Hudson for roughly four weeks. While residents are welcome to see them in action, there's an important warning that needs to be heeded.

Warning About Petting Working Goats Under the Walkway Over the Hudson

"The public is welcome to see the goats in action; [however] we advise to caution against getting too close", the NYSBA warned. Since the goats will be feasting on poison ivy, they continued, there is a high risk of oils from the plants transferring to human hands if the goats are pet.

Goats have long been used to help clear unwanted plants, and Green Goats has been in business in the Hudson Valley since 2008, with their goats traveling everywhere from the Hudson Valley to New Jersey and parts in between.

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Green Goats also shares that the specific appetite goats have for "thorny, bushy, and viney plants" makes them the perfect match for invasive species like Japanese knotweed (which may soon begin to affect the Hudson Valley housing market). Check out more fascinating New York goats below.