Goats are the answer

The goat solution to Cheddar's problems was first suggested as the answer to a quite different question. Invading trees and shrubs were squeezing out the gorge's prized limestone flora and fauna. Introducing grazing livestock seemed the best hope for the survival of rare and threatened wild flowers such as Cheddar pink and Cheddar bedstraw, which rely almost entirely on the gorge's landscape and climate for sustenance and protection.

Appropriately enough, Cheddar's goats are rather unusual, too. The herd was relocated by the British Feral Goat Research Group, a group of enthusiasts who make a hobby of studying free-ranging goats. The move saved the animals from sentence of death at their old home, where they were playing havoc with newly planted trees.