Help wanted: Why a Thunder Bay ski hill is looking to hire a goat herder
Unusual seasonal jobs construct character, however life’s potentialities after being employed because the inaugural summer season goat herder at a ski hill in Thunder Bay, Ont. are limitless.
Mount Baldy’s help wanted ad stands out on the native job board: “The livestock attendant might be answerable for the care of a small goat herd used for upkeep of shrubbery and grasses on the ski runs and trails.”
Co-owner and self-described “goat grasp of Mount Baldy,” Daniel Kardas, mentioned he does not anticipate to obtain plenty of resumes with deep, associated expertise.
“We have put it on the market,” he mentioned. “We’re searching for a goat herder, which is sort of humorous once you actually give it some thought. As a result of who the hell has been a goat herder, proper? Not many on the market. It is a enjoyable job. There are some soiled components of it.”
Goat herding obligations over the nine-week contract embrace driving the melange of alpine and boar goats to new areas on the mountain, cleansing their barn and pen, monitoring their well being, and “different duties, as required.”
The best candidate may encounter uncommon situations of lurking wolves, coyotes, lynx, or bears. Kardas pointed out the fence that the goat herder will transfer throughout the mountain to corral the animals is armed with 90 kilowatts of solar-powered electrical energy that may give any predator “a very good zap.”
He mentioned his goats are intelligent in the case of hazard.
“They sense it from such a far distance that they know. They’re going to simply transfer. I have never had any points but, thank the Lord. Knock on wooden.”
It has been 4 winters since Kardas purchased Thunder Bay’s “stunt hill” together with his brother Jason Kardas. As a former member of the nationwide ski soar group, he leaned into the stunt model, constructing extra rails and jumps. In the summertime, they’ve began internet hosting stay music and dirt runs whereas their wedding ceremony schedule is booked stable.
These summer season occasions unfurl on the foot of a floral blanket of fluorescent inexperienced, wholesome grasses that climb the 4,000-metre hill, because of the vitamins in just a few years of goat waste.
Kardas initially rented the herd from a neighbour earlier than he purchased 19 goats of his personal final yr. Now that the herd is as much as 33, he is reached the purpose the place he wants backup.
“These goats know me so it doesn’t matter what, they’ll observe me,” he mentioned. “Now it is a matter of coaching this new individual to get to know these goats and actually get shut with the goats. They’re going to acknowledge him and finally, begin to observe him.”
Kardas will advise the brand new recruit to maintain treats of their pockets to construct relationships. Shifting a tent up the mountain for shelter on sizzling, sunny days helps to maintain them shut by.
However regardless of how nicely you deal with them, he mentioned, there are going to be moments the place goats make a break for it.
“It is simply going to be a little bit little bit of educating however I believe whoever will get the job’s going to have a blast. They usually’re undoubtedly going to have a very good exercise, that is for positive, as a result of good luck catching a goat.”
The job posting closes on June 13. It pays $15 per hour.
