Community Corner

Herd the News? Goats Stampede After School Fireworks Show

Residents cowboy up and get the startled animals corralled in 40 minutes.

Call it an episode of “Goats Gone Wild!”

A grazing herd of goats, startled by a nearby fireworks display, dashed through a sleepy east Lemon Grove neighborhood Thursday night, turning residents into wranglers as they rushed to corral about 200 of the wily wanderers.

“I saw the fireworks and thought, ‘That must be scaring the goats so bad,’” resident Kathleen Johnson said Friday morning.

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Indeed, it did.

The goats, which are onsite clearing overgrown vegetation from a hilltop parcel overlooking Camino de las Palmas, broke free from their pen and charged into the streets below.

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The sky show was part of a honoring about 100 children in the Lemon Grove School District who have achieved English-language proficiency. The evening featured an awards ceremony, a family dinner and workshops for parents before the fireworks show.

The incident set about 20 neighbors, two fire personnel and Sheriff’s deputies on the hoof for about 40 minutes. The animals were rounded up and back in their corral about 9:10 p.m., according to Lemon Grove Fire Department Deputy Chief Tim Smith.

“Fortunately, the goat incident is over,” he said with a chuckle Thursday night. “I didn't know that was in my job description, but it was a lot of fun.”

Smith said no animals or people were injured, though there was some concern the goats may have trampled things a bit.

“They're worried about a couple of the yards, which might have gotten nibbled,” he said.

The scene on Camino de las Palmas was normal Friday morning. And by the looks of some pretty shaggy lawns, the goats could have hung around awhile to fill up.

The city is using a goat herd from Environmental Land Management to clear brush and dry vegetation from the hilltop parcels, which are adjacent to the middle school.

The same was used last year, as well, at a site off Lawton Drive, and in the Main Street Promenade redevelopment area.

Lemon Grove was featured on on CBS for its innovative approach to clearing away overgrowth in fire-hazard areas, and the herd was photographed for a feature in National Geographic.

Johnson, a daycare owner, brought a group of 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds from PolkaDottie’s Playschool on a walk to see the goats Friday morning. She said she’s happy to have the goats in the neighborhood. She’s used their presence in Earth Day lessons this week focusing on conservation.

“They’ve only been here a couple of days, and look what they’ve done,” she said, pointing to the cleared lot. “It’s a natural, environmentally friendly way to provide fire protection.”

Still, the previous night’s scene was a bit surreal, said Russell Little, principal of Palm Middle School.

“I woke up this morning and thought, ‘Did that really happen?'”


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