MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Goats from the Knox Goats Company are helping Carpenters Elementary School in Maryville to combat kudzu while teaching students about creative problem-solving.

The animals were called upon to solve a problem with kudzu at the school’s retention pond. Due to the invasive species, Derrick Crabtree, the school’s principal, said they have not been able to maintain the pond very well. Now, with the goats, the kudzu should be cleared soon.

“They’ve actually cleared out quite a bit in the past couple of days, so I don’t anticipate that they’ll be here long,” said Crabtree. “They’ve been eating at it pretty quick.

The teachers have been using the goats for impromptu lessons, offering creative learning opportunities for students. The experience gives students a first-hand opportunity to learn about invasive species and real-life problem-solving.

“It brings up a lot of opportunities to talk about learning and being creative and finding unique ways to solve things,” said Crabtree. “It’s really cool to see goats, not a lot of students that we have may have an opportunity to see, you know, farm animals or livestock. So just having the opportunity to see that in action is neat, and like I said too, I think, it’s a great opportunity to learn that there are some environmentally friendly ways and creative ways to solve problems.”

The school partnered with the Knox Goat Company to bring the goats to the school, Crabtree said that it’s good to see partnerships coming together to solve a problem.