A herd of 20 goats, two babydoll miniature sheep and Steve, their Sicilian guard donkey, have started fire-prevention work on wildlands and canyons near a San Clemente sports park.
On Monday, March 3, the animals left their coyote-proofed enclosure, entered a first parcel of brush packed with vegetation and non-native plants, and instantly went to work. In minutes, they began consuming dried-out mustard stalks and thistle, clearing brush to limit fuel for fires.
“I’m very happy the ‘brigade’ is here,” Mayor Steve Knoblock said. “It’s a rational and common-sense solution to a real fire threat that we live with constantly in our brush-filled canyons.”
The crew is part of a recently approved fire-mitigation program by the city of San Clemente. The three-month pilot will test how the herd works out and whether the council and the community want to expand the program. If all goes well, the herd’s owner, Mike Kay, hopes to scale up the number of animals to 200. For now, he is providing the animals gratis to the city.
Kay lost his previous home in Sonoma in the 2017 Tubbs fire and spoke with city leaders last year about using the goats to clear brush after the insurance for his new San Clemente house rose because of fire danger.
Kay, also a former volunteer firefighter, brought the herd down from Northern California. The goats arrived about 10 days ago; Steve and the sheep came last week.
Since then, they’ve been acclimating to their new surroundings, which are a lot hotter and drier than back on the Kay property in Sonoma, where they also work in fire prevention. They’re getting used to more of an urban feel, with traffic noise, the hoots and hollers from nearby sports fields, curious dogs walking by with their owners and hordes of eager community members wanting to see them.
They are protected by an electric fence … and Steve.
The chocolate-colored donkey is already becoming hugely popular. Not only is Steve super cute, he is also the herd’s valiant defender.
He has already swooed away coyotes, bears and mountain lions in Northen California, Kay said, possibly emboldened by his own brush with death in the Tubbs fire.
Kay said he had tried to corral Steve, but he wouldn’t be caught and suffered burns in the fire.
“He went through a night of fires all around him,” Kay said, adding Steve has become “a wiser, kinder and gentler donkey and a strong protector of the goats.”
If Steve senses a threat, his ears will flatten and he will stand tall, Kay said. “All the animals will circle behind him, and he will stampede.”
To get the herd ready, Kay has been walking some of his goats into the target area to nibble on nearby non-native plants to get them accustomed to their new food.
“If part of the herd is doing something, they’re like, ‘Pick me, pick me!’” he joked. “It’s a lot of new sensory stuff they have to take in. There’s a lot of trust among these animals. It’s livestock, but it’s also somewhat pets in the sense that they’re habituated.”
As they become more familiar with the terrain, the goats’ perimeter will be expanded. In all, they are expected to cover 10 acres.
“The community has been really supportive and several people have volunteered to be goat watchers,” Kay said. “I want it to feel like the community is part of and connected to this.”
The city’s mayor, who joked that Steve could be named after him, said he’s seen lots of positive response from the community already.
“Families have come out with ther kids to look,” Knoblock said. “I’m sure being in an urban area with animals like this will be a real educational treat for our families and school kids.”
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