5-minute listening: Goats are the new sustainable firefighters, grazing on dry grass to curb wildfires in Texas
- Animals are being used by wildfire management in a dry Texas county to chew up brush and dead grass
- Practise your English with our short listening exercises: play the audio linked below; answer the questions; and check the answers at the bottom of the page
Goats chomp at yellowed grasses, prickly bushes and dead vegetation – all of which serve as fuel for brush fires. Photo: Instagram/@goatsonthegoQuestions
1. How many compartments does a goat’s stomach have?
A. two
B. three
C. four
D. five
2. What does “get the job done” at the beginning of the podcast refer to?
A. chasing firefighters
B. eating weeds
C. stopping fires
D. starting fires
3. What does Goats on the Go do?
A. adopts orphaned goats
B. gets rid of unwanted plants
C. offers unique travel experiences
D. sells goat-related products
4. When does Wynonna “start work” every day?
A. early in the morning
B. midafternoon
C. late evening
D. close to midnight
5. What do yellowed grasses, prickly bushes and dead vegetation have in common, according to the podcast?
A. They lack water.
B. They are signs of pest infestation.
C. They can worsen brush fires.
D. information not given
6. What do goats like to eat according to the podcast?
A. hay and grains
B. corn and barley
C. hay and branches
D. dry grass and weeds
7. If someone is “chomping”, they are eating …
A. noisily.
B. quickly.
C. slowly.
D. quietly.
8. According to the podcast, what is unique about a goat’s digestive system?
A. It is able to digest seeds a lot faster than other animals.
B. It prevents seeds from growing when they are passed out.
C. It absorbs the entire seed during digestion.
D. none of the above
9. What happens to the vegetation goats eat after it passes through their system?
A. It becomes toxic to the environment.
B. It decreases soil fertility.
C. It creates additional fuel for fires.
D. It transforms into fertiliser that nourishes the soil.
10. Which word can replace “optimistic” in the podcast?
A. encouraging
B. trusting
C. hopeful
D. cheerful
11. Complete the following summary using information from the podcast.
A wildfire took place in Cross Plain, Texas in (i) ______. It destroyed more than 100 (ii) ______. To prevent a similar (iii) _______ from happening, John Walker suggested creating a buffer zone by getting (iv) ______ to graze and clear flammable brush. This “fuel break” would starve wildfires, so that they will not be able to (v) ____ further.
Answers
1. C
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. D
7. A
8. B
9. D
10. C
11. (i) 2005; (ii) homes; (iii) tragedy; (iv) goats; (v) spread
Script
Adapted from Tribune News Agency
Voice 1: Wynonna is not your typical firefighter. While most firefighters use water to stop wildfires, she uses her appetite and her four-chamber stomach to get the job done. Wynonna is one of about 40 goats tasked with eating dead weeds and grass for Goats on the Go, a network of goat-grazing businesses that provide weed and brush control.
Voice 2: Every morning, starting around 7am and throughout most of the day, the goats chomp at yellowed grasses, prickly bushes and dead vegetation – all of which serve as fuel for brush fires. Greg Kalldin is the owner and operator of Goats on the Go in Weatherford, a city in the US state of Texas. According to him, the goats are used for brush clearance because they prefer eating weeds and dry foliage that other animals don’t really enjoy. Sheep and cattle tend to prefer more grass than goats do.
Voice 1: Not only do goats love to consume weeds, but their digestive system also prevents the seeds from germinating after it has passed through their bodies. The goats eat the weeds and clear the underbrush to prevent wildfires from spreading over hundreds and thousands of acres. These animals can also get to locations where humans and machines cannot reach.
Voice 2: Goats are an environmentally sustainable option compared to machines that require fuel to operate. When goats graze the vegetation, they turn it into fertiliser that goes back into the soil, helping retain the organic carbon.
Voice 1: John Walker is a professor emeritus and extension range scientist with the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management at Texas A&M University. He is optimistic that goats could have a vital role in protecting rural neighbourhoods from wildfires.
Voice 2: On December 27, 2005, a wildfire decimated Cross Plains in Texas, burning more than 6,800 acres and destroying 110 homes in Callahan County. To prevent another tragedy like Cross Plains, Walker proposed using goats to create a buffer that would be 90 metres wide around rural communities. The idea is that the fire would burn up to that area that was grazed, and it would not spread across it because there would not be enough fuel to carry the fire.
Voice 1: According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, 2023 saw around 20 brush fires near Fort Worth and surrounding counties, burning over 2,700 acres. With February being the start of fire season in Texas, goat grazing can play a role in wildfire fuel management in rural areas.