NJs final solution for Canada Geese problem

[Loonman]

http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1056867626285200.xml?starledger?nun


Why have the geese become so numerous?

Urban encroachemnt on their feeding grounds? Probably.

No natural predators in cities? Could be that, too.

[tjdee]

1. That makes me sick.

I live in NJ and hadn't heard this.

Just rounding them up and gassing them seems cruel.

No I don't have another solution. There are a lot of them.

But gee, maybe we can do this to deer, pigeons, and bears, too.

Maybe we can do this to all wildlife that is inconvenient to us. Hey, maybe we CAN have that oil in Alaska after all!

[Loonman]

3. Inconvenient reality

Humans move further out into the wilderness while cities and suburbs expand, eliminating habitats and disrupting ecosystems..


That's why you hear all these stories about deer running in the streets and in peoples' yards. They have nowhere else to go. Without natural predators(wolves, when was the last time you saw a wolf in NJ), the geese just multiply and multiply. Eventually they would have starved to death, or moved even more into urban areas.

[THUNDER HANDS]

2. I live on Long Island

Which is like the Los Angeles of the canadian geese world.

They are annoying...and they are VERY mean. And they poop EVERYWHERE.

I feel sorry they want to kill the geese, but there's really too many of them and they also cause traffic accidents when they waddle in the middle of major roadways.

If there was a more humaine way of dealing with the problem...and it was proven to be effective, I'd support it.

But, damn, those geese are mean ol bastards. They attack you even if you're trying to feed them.

[Loonman]

4. They sure are

I've been nipped twice, and chased almost a quarter mile by an angry goose, once.

Geese are also employed as guard dogs in some places because of their extreme defence of their territory.

[StClone]

5. Geese Meat

Why are they wasting these geese. Why couldn't they be tested and see if they are fit for human consumption. The poor and homeless may like fresh goose meat. Laws make it okay to kill them but not eat them?

In my 70's college days, one of my profs predicted that as some species disappear others would become nuisances to our way of life.

He mentioned raccoons, rats, Canada Geese and others. Adaptive species in a disturbed environment, lacking predators will increase and be more or less problems.

The House Finch is another speices that has taken off with much less of a problem though they do attack ripe fruit -- Apples, cherries. The Finch is more controlled by natural predators especially Cooper's Hawks which have adapted to urban life.

[chiburb]

6. Actually, they don't belong here at all:

Geese That 'Don't Know Where Canada Is'
Could Face Early Demise in U.S. Suburbs

Snip:
Why have these geese stopped migrating? Wildlife authorities are asked this question more than any other about geese. Did climate change make them stop? Pollution? What could possibly cause a majestic V-formation of honkers high overhead on a thousand-mile migration to the Arctic tundra to suddenly drop down and land on a golf course in, say, Greenwich, Conn., defy their instincts, and take up the posh suburban life?

The answer is startling to many Americans: These geese didn't stop migrating. They never migrated. These geese, say wildlife historians, have virtually nothing to do with wild, migrating flocks. "Resident" geese -- the ones most likely to be seen in suburban parks, ponds and soccer fields -- are descendants of farmed geese and flocks of "live decoys" once used by professional hunters.

snip:
Something crucial happened in 1935: Live decoys were outlawed. These were wounded or caught birds, used by hunters to lure wild birds into gunning range. Decoys were held captive by cutting a wingtip or clipping feathers so they couldn't fly. Decoy flocks held some of the last giant Canada geese in existence.

When live decoys were outlawed, hunters got rid of tens of thousands of the birds. Wildlife agencies took some, to help restock wild populations. But many settled in local communities. Some towns wanted the geese for park ornaments, like peacocks. Farmers took and raised others. The geese embraced human habitats and handouts. When America's suburbs sprouted after World War II, "resident" geese soon moved in. With plenty of food and protection from predators and hunters, they thrived.

http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB105648893887041100-search,00.html?collection=wsjie%2F30day&vql_string=canada+geese%3Cin%3E%28article%2Dbody%29

[Kat45]

7. That's awful! Canada geese are beautiful birds.

There must be other ways to deal with this. And as time goes on, there are more and more instances of people and wildlife settling on the same territory.

[chiburb]

8. Yes, they're beautiful...

When they're flying overhead in formation. When they're eating your back yard down to the dirt, and leaving 1 1/2 pounds of crap per hour, they ain't so cute!
Don't know the humane solution to this, but what I do is throw smoke bombs at them. The lit fuse makes the same sound as when they hiss at me, and the smoke sends them scurrying across the pond. Doesn't hurt them, but makes them think twice about my yard.