ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – You’ve heard of ghosts in the graveyard, but what about goats? A historic cemetery in southeast Albuquerque is getting a much-needed helping hand, or in this case, helping hooves.
Hungry goats were ready to get to work. They’ve been hired to eat weeds across Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, but this is the first time they’re cleaning up a cemetery.
“It’s a lot easier with goats than pulling them by hand. Trust me,” said Jolene Ellerton, President of the Historic Fairview Cemetery Board.
Ellerton said every first Saturday of the month, volunteers pull weeds on the 17-acre property. “With all of our monsoon rains, the weeds have gotten out of control,” said Max Wade, owner of Gallop and Goat Grazing.
That’s when Wade got a call. “She says, I’m looking at a couple trailers full of goats, and I’ve been out pulling weeds all day. I’m a volunteer at the cemetery, and I just think this would be something that we could do at the cemetery,” said Wade.
The anonymous volunteer covered the $2,200 cost so these 250 goats could clear up four acres of the property. “It’s been an amazing experience to watch the goats at work,” said Ellerton.
Many who have shaped the state’s history are buried at the cemetery, like New Mexico’s 13th governor, Edmund G. Ross. So far, the goats have put in three days of work, clearing out three point five acres.
Wade has been sharing the progress of his “tumbleweed terminators” on social media. “I think we’ve got a great following just because the goats are so fun to watch,” he says.
The goats are taking the weekend off, but are set to finish up the job on Monday. If you’d like to donate to the Historic Fairview Cemetery or if you’d like to learn more about the cemetery, go to: historicfairviewcemeteryabq.org.
