美国加州用山羊扑灭野火

Towns across America are hiring new firefighters in herds and they don't look like you'd expect them to because they're goats.

美国各地的城镇都在重新雇佣大批消防员，他们看上去不是你以为的那样，因为他们是山羊。

These furry four-legged firefighters munch on dry brush, low-hanging branches and weeds, helping to clean out and landscape fire prone areas.

这些消防员全身覆盖皮毛、长有四条腿，用力咀嚼着干柴枝、低垂的树枝和杂草，帮助清理和收拾火灾易发区。

It's a sustainable and natural way to prevent fires if you will without using pesticides and energy consuming machines. Whatever floats your goat.

如果你愿意，这会是一种可持续的、天然的防火方法，无需使用杀虫剂和耗能机器。怎么高兴就怎么来。

cnn weather anchor Derek Van Dam has more.

cnn天气主播德里克·范·达姆将带来详细报道。

As a mega drought rages on across the western U.S. with seemingly no end in sight.

一场特大干旱在美国西部蔓延，似乎看不到结束的迹象。

The owners of these homes are in a desperate situation.

这些房屋的主人处于绝望的境地。

They're trying to prevent wildfires from burning down their house, and they've turned to goats for the solution.

他们要阻止野火烧毁他们的房子，他们已经向山羊寻求解决方案。

That's right, goats.

没错,山羊。

This is a trip of goats. Quite literally, this herd is here to feast on all of this dry brush.

这是一趟山羊旅行。毫不夸张地说，这群山羊是来尽情享用这片干旱的灌木丛的。

Weeds and low hanging branches like this can act as lighter fluid for a fire moving up a steep hillside.

像这样的杂草和低垂的树枝可以充当点火油，使大火沿着陡峭的山坡向上蔓延。

The goats eat it up, creating a line of defense for local firefighters.

山羊吃掉了这些杂草和树枝，为当地消防员建立了一道防线。

They do an excellent job of clearing some of the stuff that we would be doing out here doing a fire fight.

它们可以很好地清理一些东西，这些东西是我们在这里灭火时要收拾掉的。

If you had taller grasses, underbrush, this increases the intensity and heat that that fire is going to put off.

如果有较高的草丛，较矮的灌木丛，这会增加灭火的强度和热度。

And the danger to your personnel.

以及对人员的威胁。

It's correct, the danger to our personnel and our firefighters.

没错，对我们工作人员和消防员的威胁。

This herd belongs to Alissa Cope.

这群山羊是艾丽莎·柯普的。

Her company Sage Environmental is betting that goats can help solve some key environmental problems.

她的公司Sage Environmental敢肯定山羊可以帮助解决一些关键的环境问题。

Goats love to eat. They can eat four hours, five hours, sit down and rest, digest. They have four stomachs. Get back up again and continue eating.

山羊喜欢吃东西。它们可以吃上四个小时，五个小时，坐下来休息消化。它们有四个胃。再次站起来继续吃。

And they're nimble and fearless. They can hang out along treacherous areas, reaching locations too dangerous for landscapers and firefighters.

它们既敏捷灵巧又无所畏惧。可以在危险的地区溜达，抵达对园林设计师和消防员来说过于危险的地方。

Their work has proven to be extremely valuable.

事实证明，它们的工作非常有价值。

Have you witnessed a fire actually stop at the defensible lines that the goats have put in?

你可曾亲眼目睹过一场大火在山羊铺设的防御线前停下?

We will actually see helicopter shots where you can tell where the fire was stopped along that defensible space line.

我们实际上会看直升机的镜头，在镜头中，你可以看到大火停在了防御空间沿线的地方。

So we see the evidence that it's working and we're really proud to continue that effort.

我们发现了它正在发挥作用的证据，我们真的能为继续这一努力感到自豪。

That's exactly what we saw in 2019 when the Easy Fire northwest of Los Angeles spread dangerously close to the Reagan National Library.

这正是我们在2019年看到的，当时洛杉矶西北部的“Easy Fire”大火蔓延到里根国家图书馆附近，非常危险。

But goats had been there before and the space they cleared helped prevent the building from going up in flames.

但山羊以前来过这里，它们清理出的空间有助于防止这座建筑着火。