Viseu, Portugal - November 18, 2024 A pilot program in Portugal's Viseu is now keeping goats to reduce vegetation in the country's northern mountainous regions, which typically dries up in summer and fuels the rapid spread of blazes. The program is intended to use goats to prevent wildfires before they even begin. The goats work like mobile fire prevention units, eating up all of the fuel for the wildfires. In September, Portugal mobilized the "largest firefighting force ever" to tackle wildfires that ravaged the central and northern parts of the country. For farmers and shepherds in Viseu, the ever-spreading wildfires pose real threats as global warming intensifies. A program coordinator said the program withstood the test of September's wildfires and if being promoted at a larger scale it can be an efficient solution to rampant blazes. Wildfires are increasingly frequent in Portugal with seven died in the September blazes. Globally, wildfires are also getting worse with 21 years of NASA satellite data showing that severe blazes have more than doubled since 2003. Shotlist: Viseu, Portugal - Nov 18, 2024: 1. Aerial shots of wildfire; 2. Various of goats; 3. Vitor Gomes, shepherd, driving tractor; 4. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese/dubbed in English) Vitor Gomes, shepherd: "Of course, there's a lot of fear during wildfires, and not just for us but for the animals too. They feel fear too. They suffer fear, stress and anxiety."; 5. Various of burned forests, plants; 6. Wildfire control room; 7. Various of Andre Mota, Life Landscape Fire Program coordinator, working; 8. Aerial shots of grasslands; 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Andre Mota, Life Landscape Fire Program coordinator (starting with shot 8/ending with shot 10): "We are in one of the most affected regions by wildfires, historically speaking. In September, it was a wildfire with extreme behavior that burned almost everything in its path. But our parcels managed to keep green. It doesn't burn. So, I think with this we can prove that doing this in a bigger scale, not only as a pilot but as a solution itself, it has been proven to work. We believe it works."; 10. Various of grasslands; 11. Various of goats. [Restriction - No access Chinese mainland]