Interesting Nature

Two goats hired to mow the grass near a Tokyo train station

East Japan Railway Company, JR East, has brought in two goats to clear weeds from a 900-square-metre vacant plot in Tokyo's Shinjuku district. One-year-old Nagi and two-year-old Pokke appeared on the plot in October. The pilot project began on October 9 and is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional mowing and pesticides; it is planned to continue until December if the goats do not finish the work sooner. JR East has tried goat grazing before, but this is the first such project inside Tokyo's central Yamanote loop line. Schoolchildren, office workers and commuters stop to photograph the animals, and Tamae Noguchi, who works nearby, said that watching them eat with such appetite has lifted her mood.

Not covered in Armenian media (checked 7 November)