Goats Might Find Work at Chicago Airport

If you're out there in a very rough working environment, looking for work along with millions of other people, you might be heartened to hear about the successes of others, even if you feel a little bit jealous as well. But how would it sit with you if a bunch of goats found gainful employment before you did?

It seems some of our four-legged friends might do just that pretty soon, and get a ‘”hoof” up on the job competition, at least if the aviation authority at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport gets its way.

And what does an airport need with goat employees anyway? The good people who run O'Hare are interested in the teeth and stomachs of these hoofed creatures, or any small grazing animal for that matter. They want the goats to eat up all of the grass and weeds that have sprouted up on and near the airport grounds

The grass and weeds attract birds, which are very dangerous to aircraft. Birds can smack into airplane windshields or get caught up in an engine and cause a crash. If the ravenous goats are let loose and do their job well, they’ll be eating up their pay, and getting rid of the main attraction for the birds in the area at the same time.

Goats were chosen as a sound alternative to machines, because the terrain surrounding the airport is hard to get to with traditional cutting and pruning equipment. Of course the goats, once selected, will have to be corralled and fenced in while they graze. They can’t wander around willy-nilly, and possibly make it out onto the tarmac. That would be very hazardous for planes getting ready to land or take off, and defeat the purpose of employing the goats in the first place.