Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Come September




(Photo: One of about a dozen geese at Harlem Meer last week.)
 
Some clarifying news out of Fenton, Michigan today.
 
 
The 40 or so geese at the area are apparently to be rounded up and "relocated" this June.
 
The likelihood is that the geese will be placed into a hunting area. (If not, then they are likely to return to Fenton.) 
 
Although one is still compelled to question the need to "get rid of" 40 geese and wonder where they are being sent, the news is nevertheless better than the geese being rounded up and gassed or slaughtered.
 
There are surprisingly, a number of positive media pieces (and videos) today on the geese, including two of nesting geese in Oklahoma and Illinois where the people actually care about protecting them.   To see these videos and other articles, please go to our special goose FB page:
 
 
In more local happenings, I was surprised last night to find only one goose at Harlem Meer.  I suspect the one goose might have been protecting a nesting mate (He did not appear ill or injured) or for some other reason, did not leave with the other dozen or so geese at the Meer a few days ago.
 
Perhaps this explains the "12 new geese" seen at the Boat Lake on Monday?
 
But, if the new geese at the Boat Lake are in fact, the Harlem Meer geese, one has to wonder if they were harassed from the Meer or left on their own?
 
I am not a supporter of harassment in general -- especially when there are low numbers of geese at a park lake or pond.   While some people consider more than one goose "too many" I don't believe a dozen geese to be a large number by any stretch of the imagination.
 
On the other hand, we in NYC have to be downright paranoid about ANY number of geese that exceeds single digits in our parks over the summer due to the threatened USDA roundups and slaughters.
 
So, while I don't like or see any "need" for goose harassment in Central Park, I am not in position to vigorously protest them either (if in fact, they are occurring now).
 
The "alternative" could be far worse.
 
Still, one really has to hope the geese are not harassed at the Boat Lake.  I am not sure that Mama goose particularly is robust enough to be chased all over the park.
 
Moreover, any geese harassed out of Central Park entirely, are likely to end up in one of the other city parks where they WILL be rounded up and slaughtered this summer.
 
There are no easy answers to any of this.
 
Suffice it to say that we in New York City find ourselves in the ugly and angst position of  dreading every summer as long as the City and USDA is waving threats of mayhem and destruction over ours and the geese's heads.
 
September cannot come soon enough. -- PCA
 
 
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