As in many major cities around the world, parks are at the heart of life in Montreal. The hotter it gets, the more important the parks become. They keep us cool, let us take our small dogs out in the summer when the asphalt is too hot for their paws, serve as a water source, and form the heart of a rich ecosystem (fireflies, frogs, squirrels).
And to pamper one of its prettiest parks, Montreal has turned to the most efficient lawn mowers in the animal kingdom: sheep. At Maisonneuve Park, at the “Repaire de Biquette,” sheep have come for a “summer camp” to graze on the park’s grass. No aggressive lawn mowers, no destruction of the ecosystem: it’s incredibly cute, and it’s eco-grazing.
What is eco-grazing?
Biquette, a nonprofit organization, manages the 15 sheep currently at Maisonneuve Park. The organization practices ecopasturing: a method of maintaining green spaces using small ruminants (sheep).
The Repaire de Biquette
From May through September (roughly), the sheep roam, graze, and live freely in the park, and at the “Repaire de Biquette,” there are fun workshops and an information center on ecopasturing and rural and urban agriculture. All summer long, you can try yoga, sewing, knitting…
This Saturday, July 11, you can do yoga under the big willow tree in Maisonneuve Park. Registration is free, and you can sign up here.
The full schedule of summer workshops and activities at the Repaire de Biquette is available here
Practical Information
Where? At Maisonneuve Park, the “Repaire de Biquette” (corner of 31st Avenue and Rosemont Boulevard, behind the community gardens)
When? Through October 12, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
How? Biquette shares a few rules for saying hello to the sheep at Maisonneuve Park without stressing them out—and while respecting the environment
- Keep a respectful distance from the sheep (2–3 meters)
- Do not touch them while they are grazing
- You may pet the sheep only if they come to you
- stay calm (don’t get agitated, don’t shout—sheep are calm)
- not to feed the sheep
- move quietly around the sheep (without running)
