I have been reading a lot of publications that suggest that Canadian Geese have become a problem in many suburban environments. My opinion is that we don't always think about How to Keep Goose Wild. Here in the US we still have lots of suburban areas. There is no cover of long grass for predators to hide in around many of our overly cultured lakes and ponds. In many cases we've destroyed or cleaned out habitats for their natural predators....
I learned that geese like some of the grasses we've planted. ... Kentucky blue grass....Yum. Geese love it. As herbivores they like short, tender, succulent grasses and grains in the field or in the water. They like having their water bare and naked down to the shores. They probably think we designed these golf courses and open ponds and lakes just for them, and we did. We just didn't realize it.
Our history has shown, we can easily extinguish other creatures that we think are pests easily by over shooting or hunting them. I'm not for extending our hunting season. We've done it in the past. We could do it again.
But I know I'd miss the wild goose. I don't want to have to show my grandchildren a picture of them. They are social birds..... I can often hear them honking and making different sounds as they fly by.
We can often modify our human habitats and behaviors in a way that discourages animals we like to classify as pests, whether this be Goose or any other creature. Goose for instance doesn't like tall grass or plants near the water, nor a place that has a lot of trees and shrubs. They like to be out in the open so they can watch out for common predators like skunk and raccoon and other creatures that eat their young or eggs. Adult geese have few predators except in wilder areas. They mate for life and are protective over their young. I'd like to see more areas of wild natural habits created but I also think we are the ones who need to Start Thinking Differently if we want to co-exist with wild animals on the planet. We can't just set up a sign saying they can't come here.
Instead of golf courses....Let's plant fields of trees... We could plant fields with tall grasses and wildflowers...
Keep the Goose Wild is my own opinion . Thank goodness I'm not on a board of directors there are many things to consider when making decisions about wildlife management. For those readers that do have a problem with geese, some habitat environmental management ideas( including how to alter golf courses in a less radical way than I have suggested) can be gleaned from many different publications. I found that one does not have to agree with everything any one publication offers to stimulate thoughts and ideas for environmentally friendly solutions......
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