Creative Commons/US Forest Service Region 5

The owner of dozens of goats found dead or malnourished in October will stand trial along with a herder who was in charge of the animals, according to news reports.

The company, Goats R Us, had sent a herd of about 700 goats to clear brush at the former Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, the Oakland Tribune reported. Animal-control officers discovered roughly 50 goats quarantined in a separate area, including many that were ill and malnourished and 10 that were dead.

From the Chronicle: "The dead goats were in different stages of decomposition, 'everything from skeletons to ones that had just recently died,' said Megan Webb, Oakland animal services director."

Company owner Egon Oyarzun, 48, and herder Wilfredo Felix, 40, are charged with neglect. A preliminary hearing is set for Dec. 8.

The use of brush-clearing goats has recently gained popularity as a fire-prevention tactic — and the herds munching on Bay Area hillsides have drawn adoring crowds. Goats R Us co-owner Terri Oyarzun, Egon Oyarzun's wife, is interviewed in this KALW News report.