General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCupertino lets dogs loose to fix geese problem at parks
The problematic Canada geese at Cupertino parks are going to be told to "move along" by specially trained herding dogs later this spring, summer and fall.
The Cupertino City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday night to change its municipal code to allow professional off-leash dog services to come in the spring and summer specifically to chase away the messy waterfowl. It is currently a violation of city ordinance to have a dog off-leash in public for any reason.
"We wanted to make it clear for the professional goose services that this was also exempted," said Timm Borden, the city's public works director.
The city's unofficial war on geese has seen a number of strategies implemented the past three years. The geese and the fecal mess they leave behind have long been a problem at city parks, especially Memorial Park on Stevens Creek Boulevard.
full: http://www.mercurynews.com/rss/ci_22533945
I live in the same county as this city and have frequently visited it. Cupertino, also the home of Apple Computer, is a politically left wing place. Do you think this is a good idea or should the city just clean up after the geese instead?
undeterred
(34,658 posts)the geese from the parks and have someone to clean up their poop, its great. They had to close some beaches here in Madison last year because the water had a high bacterial content because of the geese poop. There's nothing wrong with keeping geese away from densely populated areas where humans want to hang out.
bluestate10
(10,942 posts)set up habitats where geese can live and breed unmolested.
FSogol
(45,526 posts)The geese were once migratory, but now are a constant problem.
* Egg addling involves coating the egg in mineral oil. No oxygen gets to the embryo and it dies.
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)FSogol
(45,526 posts)fuzzy chicks following Mom around.
bluedigger
(17,087 posts)One of our town parks has a geese problem due to a couple of small man made ponds. A lot of the rec fields are covered in goose poop, along with the baseball fields.
I walk my dog around there and taught her to swim in the ponds. She'd be a good goose dog.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,377 posts)Unless its a true water dog, like a Lab or a Spaniel breed, once in the water, the dog is in the birds domain now.
My Boston loved to swim and did so with no fear., He was also unafraid of any damned goose or anything like that.
One time I was in Cheyenne, WY at a hotel and there was a Swan in the pond. Mr. BB decided to go for a swim, but he wasn't molesting the Swan. He was curious about it, but I made him "Leave it" alone (a command I used regularly)
Well, that damned Swan came right over and tried to climb up on his back and push his head underwater!
BB was a little tough guy, and didn't put up with any crap, but if I hadn't been there to wade in up to my thighs to grab him and whack that Swan, he might just have drowned my dog.
On land? No problem. Chase them away. They'll fly.
On water? They'll use their wings and their webbed feet and out maneuver a dog in a heartbeat.
bluedigger
(17,087 posts)She's about 60 lbs. and it's shallow enough I could wade out there if she got in trouble. She decided to check out some ducklings last summer, and they would let her get within about six feet and then take off across the water.
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,339 posts)I never knew.
A friend of mine works near by where that incident happened. Their maintenance man was attacked by geese and ended up in the hospital. He says the guy looked like he was in a bar fight.
A HERETIC I AM
(24,377 posts)Some large birds can be aggressive as hell.
Some small ones, too! Though it might take more than a few Barn Swallows to drown you!
MADem
(135,425 posts)They do this at airfields too, to avoid Bird Strike Aircraft Hazard (BASH) events.
It's a good way to get them to move along--it doesn't hurt them, it just encourages them to go somewhere outside airfield/city limits.
FarCenter
(19,429 posts)alp227
(32,052 posts)LiberalFighter
(51,084 posts)Do park visitors feed the geese or leave food that the geese will eat? How about prohibiting that and having certain ponds dedicated for geese nearby?
XemaSab
(60,212 posts)n/t