Silly goose! That’s hardly the case for adaptable species, says biologist
Canada geese are rarely given credit for their intelligence and ability to adapt to life in the city, according to a wildlife biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
Nathan Clements says the growing number of Canada geese in Vancouver is an example of a species exploiting a niche in an urban environment.
“Canada geese are so adaptable,” he said. “A lot of people don’t give them credit for how smart they are. Canada geese have found the perfect location in urban settings.”
He suggested that Canada geese have moved into grassy areas in parks such as English Bay, Sunset Beach and Granville Island because they are not surrounded by natural predators such as bald eagles, raccoons and dogs.
“They’re in a sense protected by the humans around them because the humans deter any other predators coming into those areas,” Clements said.
Canada geese have continued to increase at a rate of about 3.8 per cent annually since a 2016 report estimated their numbers at 2,273 in Vancouver.
The numbers could more than double to 5,900 by 2025 unless more intensive management takes place.
The park board manages Canada geese by egg addling, which is a technique to sterilize eggs by covering them with oil or freezing them and then replacing them in the nest.
In the 1980s during a previous spike in the Canada geese population, the park board had three to six people addling goose eggs. It currently has one person addling eggs part-time.
Extensive hunting of Canada geese throughout their range in North America led to a drastic reduction by the early 20th century. Vancouver was one of the cities in southern Canada that was the site of a re-introduction program in the 1960s and 1970s.
There are now seven recognized subspecies of Canada geese, five of which are on the Pacific coast between Alaska and California. The local resident subspecies is known as Canada goose (Vancouver), or Branta canadensis fulva.
Overall, the North American Canada geese population has grown by more than 10 per cent a year during the past 40 years.
Clements said he recognizes that Canada geese are becoming a problem in urban areas, but he hopes Vancouver and other urban municipalities implement plans to manage them.
“The last thing we want to do is paint a picture around a species that is so negative that they become considered a pest,” he said.
Environment Canada has an FAQ about Canada geese that says both resident Canada geese like the ones in Vancouver parks and migratory geese that pass through every spring and fall “have grown at an extraordinary rate, to the point where they are causing unacceptable damage and danger in local areas.”
Goose droppings may be messy and slippery, but there is no indication they contain pathogens that can affect humans, according to a review by Environment Canada with the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.