BUFFALO, N.Y. — When the Let's Goat Buffalo bus was destroyed in a fire last fall, the "goatscaping" company lost its main mode of transportation. It also lost all of its tools, goat medicines, and other things the herd used to operate day to day, when they're hired to clear land of brush and invasive species without pesticides and herbicides.
Thanks to the support of the Western New York community, the goats have a new set of wheels, and they're out working a job on it right now.
Luckily, no goats or herders were hurt in the fire, but without a new ride, the herd wouldn't have a way to get around to their goatscaping jobs this summer. However, not long afterwards, an Amherst business owner named David Phillips and his son came forward. They own a bus and vehicle repair shop called American Manufacturing Performance, and were able to provide a new school bus to the goats.
Thanks to $16,000 raised in a GoFundMe, Let's Goat Buffalo Owner Jen Zeitler was able to convert the bus and get it all ready for a new set of "kids."
Right now, The bus is on its maiden voyage to Erie, Pennsylvania. One of the Let's Goat Buffalo herds is spending the next month clearing trails and the lake coastline of invasive species at a monastery. Then, they'll go to the National Wildlife Refuge at Montezuma for a month, before returning to jobs in the Buffalo area.
A second herd is at work closer to home this summer, working off their trailer set-up. Zeitler says they wouldn't be back up and running again without the support of the community, and their new bus is definitely a "Buffalove" bus.