TOKYO (AFP): Two white goats deployed by rail staff in central Tokyo to munch overgrown grass have become social media stars in Japan, with commuters and residents flocking to the busy business district to see the cute creatures.
One-year-old male "Nagi" and two-year-old female "Pokke" arrived at their temporary new home -- an empty lot near JR Yotsuya Station in the commercial hub of Shinjuku -- last month.
East Japan Railway (JR East) said on X that the move was "an eco-friendly way to remove weeds".
The animals have become a major attraction for local schoolchildren and professionals -- who come to snap photos during lunch breaks -- as well as a hit on social media.
Tamae Noguchi, 60, an employee at a nearby company, told AFP she was "really happy to be able to see goats right here in the middle of the city".
"They're eating their feed so energetically that just watching them makes me feel energised too," she said.
"Just looking at living creatures really lifts your spirits."
Edward Asis, a 38-year-old university student from the Philippines, told AFP the goats were "very cute".
"It's a great way, natural way of trying to get rid of all this grass," he said.
The trial in the 900-square-metre vacant lot started on October 9 and will last until around December, "but will end once the grass within the premises has been completely eaten," JR East said in a statement to AFP.
Compared to use of grass cutters and herbicides, "using goat grazing not only enables continuous weed control but also makes it possible to reduce the environmental impact," it added.
The company has implemented similar trials using goats elsewhere, but it is their first inside the circular Yamanote line, the central core of Tokyo.
In 2016, around 10 sheep were installed close to Paris' major ring road to clear grass, despite complaints from the public and animal welfare groups over concerns they were breathing polluted air. -- AFP
