UCalgary welcomes goat herd as part of sustainable landscaping efforts
Posted Aug 13, 2026 3:24 pm.
Last Updated Aug 13, 2026 3:25 pm.
The University of Calgary campus has welcomed a special team of landscapers as part of the school’s environmental sustainability initiatives.
The school is now home to a herd of goats who will be temporarily living at the campus in exchange for their work to reduce the spread of invasive species.
The goats are being used for targeted grazing and offer a chemical-free alternative to handle unwanted vegetation growth. The animals are accompanied by a professional shepherd.
“I affectionately call them ‘chaos and destruction,’ because they will wreck everything,” says Ryan Cartwright, a shepherd with Grazin’ Goats. “So, if you’re out to reduce some of the invasive species….they just help control that.”
Staff at the university say it isn’t just the environment benefiting from the presence of the goats.
“One of the unplanned benefits is tgat everybody loves the goats,” says James Rendell, UCalgary’s Facilities Management Associate VP. “Everyone that walks by, they walk away with a smile.”
The goats are currently grazing in the southeast corner of the campus.
