VIDEO 322 Goats Just Clocked In for Work at a Colorado Airport

Centennial Airport has added hundreds of new employees this week — and every single one of them is a goat.

A herd of 322 goats has been brought onto the nearly 1,400-acre airport property to spend seven days eating its way through thick grass, bushes and shrubs in areas that are difficult for maintenance crews and heavy equipment to reach.

It may look unusual, but the goats actually have an important job.

Centennial Airport averages around 900 flights per day, and keeping vegetation under control helps prevent wildlife from creating habitats near active runways. Animals living too close to aircraft can create serious safety concerns.

The goats are also helping reduce wildfire risk by removing vegetation that could become fuel for a fire.

Centennial Airport Director of Operations Jeremy Gunn got the idea earlier this year after spotting goats grazing near the Denver Broncos’ training facility across the road from the airport. He decided to find out whether goats could do the same thing at Centennial.

That eventually led the airport to Goat Bros., a Colorado company that uses goats for vegetation management, weed control and wildfire mitigation.

And these goats can apparently put away some serious landscaping.

Depending on how thick the vegetation is, the herd can clear roughly three to four acres per day. The goats can eat plants from about a quarter-inch above the ground all the way up to vegetation roughly six feet high.

The herd spent its first couple of days tackling an especially dense 1.5-acre section and had reportedly cleared around 10 to 11 acres as the project progressed.

Having 322 goats grazing roughly 100 yards from an active landing strip does require some extra precautions.

The herd is monitored by cameras 24 hours a day and moved through smaller grazing sections surrounded by double electric fencing to make sure nobody decides to wander onto the runway.

Beyond clearing unwanted vegetation, airport officials say the goats can improve soil health while reducing the amount of diesel-powered equipment needed to maintain difficult terrain.

The goats aren’t expected to completely replace traditional landscaping and vegetation management, but they offer another tool for handling areas that would otherwise require considerable equipment and labor.

And for one week, Centennial Airport might have one of the most unusual landscaping crews in Colorado.

The 322 goats are scheduled to continue munching their way around the airport through Thursday, August 27.