Goats, sheep enlisted at Camp Williams

Goats, sheep enlisted at Camp Williams


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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Goats and sheep are on duty for the Utah Army National Guard at Camp Williams.

The guard has enlisted the animals to chow down on vegetation that could fuel wildfires at the camp about 30 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The guard says about 1,200 goats and sheep consume a lot of the heavy fuels, including sagebrush and oak brush. The animals were first used as an experiment 10 years ago and were officially added to Camp Williams' fire plan in 2003.

A guard spokesman says the animals eat almost everything down to stubble and provide a firebreak where there is nothing for a wildfire to burn.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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