OSAKA -- Sheep graze as children watch or pet them -- a sight reminiscent of a farm or zoo. Such a scene, however, might become more common on riverbanks here as the animals are used as an alternative to lawn mowers.
In a trial between mid-April and mid-July, two sheep worked the weeds on the banks of the Ushitakigawa River in Izumiotsu, southern Osaka Prefecture.
The 5-year-old rams graze on a 700-sq.-meter plot. Junichi Nozoe, an official of the Osaka Prefectural Government, said the animals proved effective in removing the weeds, which can grow as tall as 60 cm.