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cutter Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York   Pics

2002-05-11          38487

Here is a new twist. The wild geese in this area have decided to stay. I was listening to the radio on my way to work and the radio announcer described the ones in this area as "welfare geese", no purpose except to exhist and create a mess. I did not realize these Canadian geese were such a problem, except to see them stop traffic on busy streets. Apparently the wild Canada goose that still migrates is a seperate colony from this band of disrupters. They are making quite a mess of property and since the law protects them, there is not much one can do. Some maintainance people at a posh local golf course were arrested this week for trying to shoo them away with brooms,in the process one (goose) broke its leg. They were arrested for this act and the injured goose taken to a vet. Can you imagine, I would think taxpayers could have their money spent on something better. They should have plucked it and fed it to the homeless at St. John's Home. Now I understand there are some border collies trained to chase just the geese, not ducks or other wildlife, and for a fee this outfit comes by once a week with the dogs. Go figure.

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David Waite Join Date: Jun 1999 Posts: 43

2002-05-11          38490

Here in the states they are federally protected as migratory water fowl. But they allow the states to set up their own early and late season to try and keep the non migratory birds in check. The seasons are before the geese start moving south and before the head north. As the winters get milder the geese tend to stay and not travel. ....

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TomG Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley

2002-05-12          38520

I am Canadian and I didn't realize my government issued citizenship to geese. Well, I guess the geese sound enough like our political leaders that mistakes might be easy enough. The animal is technically called a Canada Goose and comes in greater and lesser flavours. I realize that the birds are usually called canadian geese in the States. It's a common joke around here.

Geese have been permanent residents in Toronto and other cities for decades and have caused problems big-time. There was a sordid story in Toronto some years back. The geese in part of the city had turned some ponds and lake shore into cesspools. The city was going to simply slaughter a bunch. Scads of interest groups started popping up. 'Save the Geese' and 'use them for food for the homeless' were some of the sentiments. Eventually some town in New Brunswick stepped forward to stem the controversy. 'We'll take your geese just transport them here,' said the town. So, off go the animal people to round up some geese during their molting season. Unfortunately, the effort lacked essential expertise. On a hot day about half the geese to be transported expired inside the trucks. The next year, there was still a goose problem, but the New Brunswick town had enough even at half-strength. ‘No more geese please’ they said. Don't know what happened during the past few years.

Federal law and international migratory bird treaties aside, geese in the concentrations I'm talking about is a public health issue in urban areas, and I'm reasonable certain municipalities could deal with it if they really wanted to. Maybe politicians really do identify with geese. Strangely enough, I live where the geese belong during the summer, and they aren't a problem here. City people who are inclined to be 'nice to the birds' make many of their own problems by feeding them and breaking the ice open for them during the winter. Of course the hang around.
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