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New York park-cleaning goats honored with G.O.A.T. awards

By Ben Hooper   |   Aug. 1, 2019 at 4:29 PM
First place winner Massey the goat stands with her championship trophy and medal when Riverside Park Conservancy crowns a top goat at the first annual G.O.A.T awards ceremony Thursday in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI Third place winner Buckles the goat receives his 3rd place medal when Riverside Park Conservancy crowns a top goat at the first annual G.O.A.T awards ceremony Thursday in New York City. The Riverside Park Conservancy presented G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) awards to the top five members of a herd of goats who have spent the summer ridding the park of invasive plants as part of a sustainable horticulture program. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI First place winner Massey the goat stands with her championship trophy and medal when Riverside Park Conservancy crowns a top goat at the first annual G.O.A.T awards ceremony on Thursday in New York City. The Riverside Park Conservancy presented G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) awards to the top five members of a herd of goats who have spent the summer ridding the park of invasive plants as part of a sustainable horticulture program. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI Competing goats are evaluated by George Shea when Riverside Park Conservancy crowns a top goat at the first annual G.O.A.T awards ceremony Thursday in New York City. The Riverside Park Conservancy held its first-ever G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) awards to the top five members of a herd of goats who have spent the summer ridding the park of invasive plants as part of a sustainable horticulture program. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Aug. 1 (UPI) -- A New York conservancy presented G.O.A.T. awards at a ceremony Thursday to five actual goats that have been working to clear invasive plants from a park.

The Riverside Park Conservancy held its first ever G.O.A.T. (Great Of All Time) awards ceremony Thursday at Riverside Park in Manhattan to honor five members of the goat herd that has been grazing on invasive plants at the park as part of a sustainable horticulture program.

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The conservancy said the five winning goats were chosen based on votes from thousands of locals who have been closely following the animals' story since they were brought to the park in the spring.

Top honors went to Massey, a female goat presented with a medal and bouquet of edible flowers.

The 24 goats have been grazing on invasive plants including Japanese knotweed, wineberry, poison ivy, mugwort and English ivy as part of the park's Woodland Restoration Initiative. Riverside Park includes more than 60 acres of forested area.