ShareThisWho can blame the Canada geese for abandoning the tiresome migration and setting up permanent residence somewhere in California?
"Parks, golf courses, and ball fields offer geese a free buffet of grass and open sight lines, and easy access to pond water offer(s) them safety," wrote Maggie Brasted of the Humane Society of the United States. "This creates a virtual goose nirvana."
Nirvana for the goose, maybe. But a growing nuisance for the owner of the golf course, park or, worse, the airport. Until recently, local officials had to treat these geese as migratory birds under the jurisdiction of rules that required federal permission for trying to disperse the gaggle.
But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changed its rules to more sensible ones that reflect the permanent residency status of these birds. If the airport or park considers the birds a nuisance, it can decide whether and how to respond. Yes, that includes shooting the geese (although trapping them, frankly, seems a lot more practical than urban hunting).
The Humane Society, true to its mission, objects to the premature demise of any geese.
"The reality is that the environment needs to be regulated, not the birds, if there is significant change to be made," said Brasted. There indeed are ways to thin populations short of a hail of gunshot. The geese can be fed things that prevent egg development. Or, as the Humane Society points out, eggs can be removed from nests. But at a certain point, it is unrealistic to assume that the airport will hire a small army of geese feeders and egg removers. Nor is it realistic to remove the parks and golf courses.
This quandary shows the ugly side effect of building a civilization that creates new accommodations for birds that are supposed to migrate. Thank goodness the migrating population has healthy numbers.
Let the local governments do what is right for them, and what local sensibilities deem right for the geese.
