Brittany Ruttenberg
2-14-2012
Last summer, I spent the majority of my time at my grandparent's home in Crown Point, Indiana. With the beautiful weather, I had no excuse for spending my time anywhere but outside: lush vegetation, green grasses, and that oh-too-familiar goose poop that litters suburban sidewalks. As society urbanized, wildlife had little time to adapt to the extreme change in environment. Extirpation, sadly, is destiny for most species with the arrival of highways, malls, and neighborhoods. Some species, however, do adjust and even thrive in urban environments, but eventually end up posing a problem to their human counterparts, and become nuisance animals.
The Canada goose (Branta canadensis) can be found all throughout the United States. Their population once suffered massive declines in the early 1900s, but today, their populations have flourished. This has resulted in the species becoming a nuisance animal to many people living in the cities and suburbs. An overabundance of geese in urban areas can result in the accumulation of droppings and feathers on the landscape, damage to agricultural crops, the increase in the spread of avian diseases due to a high number of birds in a given area, and noise and aggression issues.
The urban landscape provides the perfect feeding and loafing ground: well-groomed, low grasses (front yards, parks, football fields, just to name a few) coupled with neighborhood ponds. During nesting, both the male and female will actively protect the nest, accounting for their overly aggressive behavior during the nesting and brooding seasons. "Mean" is most often the word I hear when talking about geese, having heard more than one horror story about someone who may have gotten a little too close to a goose's nest and encountered a not-too-happy honking and hissing goose. Urban geese typically do not migrate until forced to do so, perhaps when food sources are too low, only adding to problem.
Indiana is currently home to about 130,000 resident geese, with their population only growing due to a lack of predators on the urban landscape and hunting opportunities. A popular pastime for park-goers is feeding geese and other waterfowl--which can also explain why geese populate and linger in certain areas. The problem with this is that it only creates conflicts between geese and humans, and increases the risk of avian diseases by congregating a large number of animals. Other management techniques being implemented by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources include habitat manipulation to deter geese from nesting in certain areas, harassment techniques (which can be used by homeowners to scare geese away from their property), and nest and egg destruction.
The habitats these animals have evolved to live in were eliminated in a span of 150 years, leaving them with no choice but to adapt, and have done that (quite successfully). These animals become a problem because they associate too close to humans, but where else should they go? What management practices need to be implemented in order for humans and wildlife to successfully exist with one another?
Works Cited
Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Nuisance Canada goose management. <http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/2996.htm> Accessed February 7, 2012.
Smith, A. E., S. R. Raven, and P. D. Curtis. 2000. Managing Canada geese in urban environments: A technical guide. Cornell Cooperative Extension. <http://ecommons.library.cornell.edu/bitstream/1813/66/2/Managing%20Canada%20Geese> Accessed February 7, 2012.
5 comments:
Although these geese may be viewed as a nuisance by the public, I agree with you in questioning, where else are they supposed to go? Since their habitats have been fragmented and eliminated, humans have forced them to adapt to urban areas. Hopefully they will be successful in their management plan to address the possibility of humans and urban geese to live together in harmony.
Yes, I agree. Urban wildlife management is critical, especially because so much of the world's population has urbanized and are now living in cities. It is difficult because the urban landscape is now being shared by humans and wildlife. People that live in urban environments also tend to have different mentalities toward wildlife than people who live in more rural areas: more avoidance than appreciation in most cases. That makes managing for urban wildlife species that much more challenging.
This is completely true. I always get the impression that people hate geese and want them gone, but they have a right to be here, too. Its not their fault that people have invaded their habitat. Geese have had no choice but to get used to people, and people seem to be doing everything they can to prevent this. I hope everyone will eventually just learn to live with geese. I certainly don't mind them.
I agree with both of you. Urban wildlife management is critical as the world has urbanized and more people than ever are living in cities. As we've converted natural habitat to cities and suburbs, humans and wildlife are now sharing the same home. Also, people who live in cities tend to have different mentalities toward wildlife as opposed to people who live in more rural/natural areas--more avoidance than appreciation in most cases. That makes managing urban wildlife that much more difficult.
What would YOU do? Good topic--I see this in a park where I can no longer teach, too much poop.
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