They came as a group of seven onto military property in Comox with one goal in mind - to eat vegetation in order to clear a patch of land.

It鈥檚 an unusual assignment for many, but for a group of goats from Parksville, it was not a ruff assignment.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e very efficient - they can eat about 25 per cent of their body weight a day in plant material,鈥� explained Beverly Ness of Goats on the Hoof, a vegetation management company. 鈥淭hey will eat the seeds, plants and berries, and through their digestive system, they render them inert so they don鈥檛 spread the seeds around like traditional machinery would.鈥�

The company has been invited by the military to clear a patch of land in the way of a fence on an infantry facility near Seal Bay, she added, and the goats can do this in a clean, quiet and effective manner.

Ness said the concept has become more popular in the past few years.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot more interest, and (with) a lot of individuals who don鈥檛 want to use pesticides.鈥�

The goats will stay on site most likely until the weekend - within the confines of an electric fence - until they finish their job. Ness also remains on site in a trailer to monitor the herd, and to keep an eye out for people who may be curious to see what is 鈥榞oat鈥�-ing on.

鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 petting zoo goats. They are easy to get along with and are friendly, but we encourage people to not lean over the fence and pet the goats.鈥�

She added they are particularly afraid of dogs - no matter the size - as the goats think every dog resembles a wolf, and encourages dog walkers to use a leash.

Corey Dupuis, team leader of Air Field Works said this is the first time the military has used the animals for vegetation control.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a great idea 鈥� we鈥檙e looking for a way to have less machine impact on the area. We鈥檙e looking for more earth-friendly ways of operating.鈥�

He added in certain areas of their property, goats could be ideal.

鈥淭here鈥檚 been a lot of jokes, but we take it as it is, and it鈥檚 a good thing at the end of the day.鈥�

For video of the goats, visit comoxvalleyrecord.com.