Goats move to new home at Hengrove mounds

Picture Bristol City Council.

A herd of goats have moved into their new home at Hengrove Mounds – with residents having the chance to say a “hello” at a Meet and Greet session at the weekend. 

The hairy scrub nibblers have been brought in to graze the overgrown area as part of a partnership project between urban goat farming collective Street Goat and Avon Wildlife Trust’s My Wild City – which focuses on eight wildlife sites across Bristol, including Hengrove Mounds and Hawkfield Meadow.

In his blog, Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said the council was “thrilled to welcome these furry, four legged grazers on site.”

He said: “…Bristol City Council, with the help of Street Goat and the local community, maintain wildlife areas like Hengrove Mounds for the benefit of its wild (and human!) visitors through natural methods. 

“We’ve seen the benefits of having grazing goats as part of our strategy for managing our green spaces for nature with the goats currently at the Gun Battery in Stoke Park Estate. They’ve been successfully maintaining this area for the last three years each spring, increasing the numbers and diversity of flora and fauna found there…”

Chief Executive of Avon Wildlife Trust, Ian Barrett, said: “Grazing animals, like Street Goat’s goats, are brilliant at maintaining scrub and grassland areas in a way which promotes biodiversity and allows wildflowers to thrive. This will support the incredible species which call Hengrove Mounds their home, such as the nationally scarce carrot mining bee.”

The Hengrove Mounds goat herd will be cared for by Street Goat volunteer goat herders who will regularly to check on them. The collective is looking for more volunteers, so anyone interested should apply at: https://www.streetgoat.co.uk/join

Visitors to the area are welcome to walk through the fenced enclosure but are being urged to make sure dogs are on short leads and to shut gates behind them. They are also being asked not to feed the goats.

To follow the progress of the herd and others across Bristol visit the Street Goat Facebook page.