Goats have made a welcome return to a nature reserve in South Gloucestershire this week.
Wick Golden Valley Local Nature Reserve saw four new arrivals, with another two expected to move in on Monday (January 24).
According to a Facebook post by South Gloucestershire Council StreetCare, the goats have been brought in by StreetCare's Community Spaces Improvements team to help control and trim the grassland at Raven's Rock - a tourist attraction in the area.
They're expected to stay there for the next few weeks - until March at the latest - depending on how much they can eat!
READ MORE: 'Exciting' discovery of otters living in South Bristol stream
The goats are owned and managed by Street Goat, a community group based locally, and the younger of the goats (which are Toggenbury/Golden Guernsey crosses and Boer/Nubian crosses) were born in May 2021 at Street Goat's HQ right here in Bristol.
The full Facebook post, which was published on Wednesday, reads: "Get your goat – an animal friendly way to manage our open spaces!
"Goats have returned to Wick Golden Valley local nature reserve in Wick to help manage the important wildlife site.
"Four arrived this week and will be joined by two others on Monday. They have been brought in by StreetCare’s Community Spaces Improvements team to help control and trim the grassland at Raven’s Rock.
"They will be browsing around this very valuable habitat - home to a wide range of plants and wildlife - for the next few weeks until March latest according to how much food is available for them before the wildflowers emerge."
It's not the first time goats have been brought in to help local wildlife - in 2018 South Gloucestershire Council teamed up with Street Goat to enhance an area of grassland and encourage wildlife to flourish - especially a small blue butterfly named Cupido Minimus.
The site was located behind the Park and Ride car park on Hunts Ground Road, near Bristol Parkway, according to one report by Stoke Gifford Journal.
You can find out more about Street Goat and the work it does here.
Get the best stories about the things you love most curated by us and delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you love here
