4 ms·

While parks and ponds are unusable because of geese poo. I love animals so i am not sure what to make of this

paganel 4y ago
That we should probably learn to live with geese poo. We have a problem with crows poo in the city where I live, but I’d take that one thousand times over not having any crows at all, or geese, for that matter. Pigeons are a little different because they’re mostly city-wide pets as things stand right now, they don’t seem to fill any “needed” ecological niche, but I may be wrong on that.
- krisoft 4y ago
  > Pigeons are a little different because they’re mostly city-wide pets as things stand right now, they don’t seem to fill any “needed” ecological niche, but I may be wrong on that. What is “needed”? How do you even define that? (And are you filling a “needed exological niche”?)
  - paganel 4y ago
    That’s why I used quotes. Supposedly crows around these parts eat mice and even rats, which is good enough reason for me to define it as filling a “needed ecological niche”.
- jwilk 4y ago
  > city-wide pets Did you mean "pests"?
  - paganel 4y ago
    Goes both ways. I do have a lady close to me that treats them as pets, meaning she feeds them regularly. Some small kids also play with them, more exactly running after them, the same way as they’d play with dogs, let’s say.
- chasil 4y ago
  Their dung was harvested in Persia, and it still is today. This could be done in cities. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31885525 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31885525
master_crab 4y ago
Cull them. Controlling their numbers and loving animals are not mutually exclusive.
- Zak 4y ago
  Less violent alternatives include: Finding nests and oiling the eggs to prevent them from developing. Landscaping parks to include more tall grass and similar obstructions to sight lines. Geese are comfortable where they can see predators a long way away.
  - pigsty 4y ago
    Oiling eggs seems like a laborious and environmentally bad solution (oil, even vegetable oil, being dumped everywhere and flowing into ponds doesn’t seem good). If you’re going to strangle eggs, I think there are much more efficient methods.
    - master_crab 4y ago
      Not to mention that modifying landscaping is not always a viable option.
      - Zak 4y ago
        There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to conflicts between humans and wildlife, but I think generally speaking killing the wildlife shouldn't be plan A. Other options should be tried first when the wildlife isn't an imminent danger to people, including changes to human-made habitats, changes to human behavior, and non-lethal population control.
        pigsty 4y ago
        Putting enough tall grass in a park to keep geese away would also have the consequence of making it keep humans away. Some untouched areas are fine, but if geese are avoiding it because they sense danger, humans will do the same. It comes with the reality of snakes, and worse, ticks. Nobody will let their kids play there and no adults will run or relax there. It’d be closed off and paved over if it’s meant as an urban park.

That we should probably learn to live with geese poo. We have a problem with crows poo in the city where I live, but I’d take that one thousand times over not having any crows at all, or geese, for that matter. Pigeons are a little different because they’re mostly city-wide pets as things stand right now, they don’t seem to fill any “needed” ecological niche, but I may be wrong on that.

krisoft 4y ago
> Pigeons are a little different because they’re mostly city-wide pets as things stand right now, they don’t seem to fill any “needed” ecological niche, but I may be wrong on that. What is “needed”? How do you even define that? (And are you filling a “needed exological niche”?)
- paganel 4y ago
  That’s why I used quotes. Supposedly crows around these parts eat mice and even rats, which is good enough reason for me to define it as filling a “needed ecological niche”.
jwilk 4y ago
> city-wide pets Did you mean "pests"?
- paganel 4y ago
  Goes both ways. I do have a lady close to me that treats them as pets, meaning she feeds them regularly. Some small kids also play with them, more exactly running after them, the same way as they’d play with dogs, let’s say.
chasil 4y ago
Their dung was harvested in Persia, and it still is today. This could be done in cities. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31885525 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31885525

master_crab 4y ago

Cull them. Controlling their numbers and loving animals are not mutually exclusive.

Zak 4y ago
Less violent alternatives include: Finding nests and oiling the eggs to prevent them from developing. Landscaping parks to include more tall grass and similar obstructions to sight lines. Geese are comfortable where they can see predators a long way away.
- pigsty 4y ago
  Oiling eggs seems like a laborious and environmentally bad solution (oil, even vegetable oil, being dumped everywhere and flowing into ponds doesn’t seem good). If you’re going to strangle eggs, I think there are much more efficient methods.
  - master_crab 4y ago
    Not to mention that modifying landscaping is not always a viable option.
    - Zak 4y ago
      There isn't a one-size-fits-all answer to conflicts between humans and wildlife, but I think generally speaking killing the wildlife shouldn't be plan A. Other options should be tried first when the wildlife isn't an imminent danger to people, including changes to human-made habitats, changes to human behavior, and non-lethal population control.
      - pigsty 4y ago
        Putting enough tall grass in a park to keep geese away would also have the consequence of making it keep humans away. Some untouched areas are fine, but if geese are avoiding it because they sense danger, humans will do the same. It comes with the reality of snakes, and worse, ticks. Nobody will let their kids play there and no adults will run or relax there. It’d be closed off and paved over if it’s meant as an urban park.