On New York City's Governors Island, Hammock Grove is a young urban forest that needs room to grow. But because of invasive species like mugwort and phragmites, it's a little difficult for the tiny trees to take root.
Enter Flour, Sam, Evening, Chad, and Philip Aries. These five sheep, which come from a farm in Albany, N.Y., are summering on the island, which sits about halfway between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn and working to earn their keep — by eating the troublesome plants.
"Removing those species by hands are really difficult. [It] takes a lot of time for our gardener and horticulture team," said Trust for Governors Island director of operations planning Mollie McGinnis. "So the sheep are here to help us with some of that work by eating some of those species for us."
Animals have often worked side by side with humans and can provide an eco-friendly solution to some of humanity's biggest problems. In Manhattan's Riverside Park, goats are also being used to curb invasive plant species. One thousand feral cats have been released in Chicago to curb the rat problem. Horses are used as therapeutic animals across the country. Llamas have proven to be great at guarding livestock in Colorado and the western United States.
Just a few miles up the road from New York City, one company is using dogs to humanely control geese.
"A lot of jobs you got to get behind a counter or sit at a desk or a cubicle all day," said Long Island Geese Control president and CEO Bill Alemaghides. "My workers, they get in the car with man's best friend, who can't talk back or chew your ear off, doesn't gossip. The dogs are just a pleasure to be around."
Rather than use poison or other methods that harm animals, Alemaghides's company uses dogs to get rid of Canada Geese. These specially trained border collies use their herding instincts to tell the birds to leave local parks, office areas, and housing developments but are specifically trained not to harm the birds.
Canada Geese are especially a nuisance because they are not native to Long Island and have propagated because of ideal conditions. What's worse, a single goose can leave three to five pounds of droppings daily, which can be hazardous to the people who live around them.
"Border Collies are the most trainable dogs," he explained. "They are widely known as one of the smartest, if not the smartest, breed of dogs. But most importantly for this line of work, they mimic the actions of the Canada Goose's natural predator, the Arctic Fox."
The dogs are trained to work on land and water, although some prefer not to get wet. The birds see the dogs and scatter, and if the canines chase them away frequently enough, they may never return. "These dogs are really brilliant," Long Island Geese Control employee Amanda Ackerly explained.
Ackerly loves the job because she gets to spend time outdoors, as well as time with her roommate. Her canine partner, Callie, goes home with her every night.
"It's been a thrill to work with her," Ackerly said. "She makes my job very, very easy as you can see."
