14 DAY TRIAL // A few days back, we reported on an airport's decision to “hire” some goats as professional lawn mowers, primarily because these animals can help keep unwanted grass patches well under control and at the same time do not require to either burn fuel or be paid heavy money.
Recent news informs us that the city of Charlotte, in Vermont, saw fit to resort to a very similar solution in order to keep the grass in the local cemeteries trimmed without having to spend significant amounts of money on the fuel your run-off-the-mill lawn mowers would require.
Thus, they took several sheep and goats, set them loose amongst the graves and allowed them to do what they do best: gulp down whatever grass happened to come their way.
Sources inform us that, ever since this peculiar partnership between humans and animals first came into being, this town in Vermont has succeeded in saving as much as $2,000 (€1,540) on a yearly basis.
Not to mention the fact that, by not burning this money's worth of fuel, local air quality is bound to have improved to a certain extent.
This is because, as opposed to the lawn mowers people usually use, sheep and goats do not release harmful chemical compounds into the atmosphere while they are carrying on with the work they have been entrusted with.
Although cutting down on air pollution is indeed noteworthy, it seems that the main drive behind the decision to bring in these sheep and goats in order to control the vegetation growing in the local cemeteries had more to do with financial incentives.
More precisely, small towns typically work on a very tight budget, which is why the aforementioned savings are more that welcome as far as the people and the local high official are concerned.
However, it seems that not everybody approves of this idea wholeheartedly. Thus, one local told members of the press that authorities received, “one complaint from one person out of state who didn't like the fact that sheep were urinating and defecating on the hallowed ground.”
Still, “I'd say it's not very respectful to spray gasoline and spray fumes all over the gravestones either.”