Early Shutdown Layoff: Poison Ivy-Gobbling Goats

The government shutdown means furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers, but work ended early for 28 hard-working and four-legged National Park Service employees. The Nubian goats, which spent the summer munching away at a poison ivy infestation in New Jersey's Gateway National Recreation Area, were pulled off the job last week because their owner was worried about a shutdown closing the park, reports USA Today, which describes the goats as "fat and happy" as their assignment came to an end. Officials say the goats were a major hit with the public—and there's hardly a leaf of poison ivy left. (More goats stories.)