CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- The goats are back on Missionary Ridge, above Chattanooga, eating kudzu plants.

Stephen Surowitz says his Bar S Farms in Petersburg has a contract for the goats to clear about five acres of land. Petersburg is about 60 miles south of Nashville.

The city leased about 30 goats until the end of the year, but Surowitz says they could finish the job by the end of the month.

An electrically charged fence surrounds the area where the goats are working and a very protective dog named Goliath watches over them.

Previous attempts to use goats to eat kudzu on the steep slopes have been hampered by roaming dogs, who have killed some of the animals.

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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)