New York City's GOAT goat crowned at weed-eating competition
If you thought the competitive eating season was over after the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, think again. This time, it's about the goats — and we don't mean the greatest of all time.
New York City's first-ever goat grazing competition was held Saturday at Riverside Park, and it wasn't just fun to watch, but also helped the environment.
Spectators cheer on their favorite rescue goats
The Great Goat Graze-Off was sanctioned by Major League Eating and emceed by its chair and the emcee of the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, George Shea.
Five rescue goats — Mallomar, Romeo, Butterball, Kash and Rufus — competed to eat the most packets of mugwort, an invasive weed, in five minutes.
Things got intense with the crowd of spectators favoring lone female, Butterball. Some of the competitors were just not that hungry for the prize.
"Romeo, you're gonna have a down competition. You get yourself together," Upper East Side resident Katie Kikendall said.
Kash ended up not eating at all.
"'Kash comeback' was kind of the nickname, but unfortunately he didn't come through," Queens resident Ben Blanchet said.
At three full packets, just a quarter more than the runner-up, Mallomar won the title of GOAT grazer.
In addition to the competition, visitors enjoyed live music and food.
"You don't see this every day," Washington Heights resident Priscilla Reynoso said.
"If you're not doing something like this, you don't live in New York," Brooklyn resident Kevin Wilson said.
Goats help kill invasive plants in Riverside Park
The grazing goats weren't just in Riverside Park to entertain New Yorkers.
Merritt Birnbaum, president and CEO of Riverside Park Conservancy, says goats are chemical-free way of killing invasive plants in the park in its yearly program called "Goatham."
"They're eating all of the leaves that provide nutrients for the plants, and it really helps keep these invasive species under control," she said. "They're also in areas that are really hard for humans to climb on."
The goats will be back at the park to continue grazing on the invasive plants for the next few months.
