Chile's firefighting goats protect a native forest from deadly blazes

A herd of goats of the "Buena Cabra" (Good Goat) project, an initiative that relies on goats to control dry pastures and other vegetation that fuel forest fires in the summer, nibble on foliage in Santa Juana, Chile, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Gonzalez

SANTA JUANA, Chile (Reuters) - In the southern Chilean city of Santa Juana, hit hard by wildfires earlier this year, locals have a special taskforce helping fight blazes: a herd of goats.

The goats have already saved the native forest of the Bosques de Chacay once, preventing the park from being consumed by February forest fires - fueled by heatwaves and a punishing drought - that left dozens dead, thousands injured and almost 440,000 hectares destroyed in south-central Chile.