Egyptian geese numbers ‘must be controlled’
● Wildlife expert says shooting culls are needed to reduce indigenous species’ extremely rapid growth
A veteran urban wildlife conservationist has commented on the recent furore over the shooting of Egyptian geese, saying shooting culls are needed to reduce the ecological and human health problems the species is causing.
The dispute erupted last week on the Beyond Calves farm in Seaview on the peri-urban outskirts of Gqeberha where some residents vented about the shooting of Egyptian geese.
But the farmer said he had no other choice as the birds were destroying his pastures.
Arnold Slabbert, the founder of Wildline and the Urban Raptor Project, said yesterday though the Egyptian goose was indigenous, its populations had ballooned out of control due to man-made landscape transformation to which it had successfully adapted.
“The clearing of bush is what underpins the whole problem.
“The geese are grazers and besides the seeds, grains and veggies they find in agricultural lands, they also love short grass.
“So they will descend in huge numbers on fields and pastures as well as sports fields, golf courses, parks and any place where bush has been cleared, especially if there’ sa dam or swimming pool for them to access as well.
“They come for the food and, without any natural predators, they are able to breed all year round.
“They’re big, aggressive birds and they take over dams, kill the chicks of the other waterfowl like teel, and shovellers, and harass the adults so much so they move away.”
He said when the large flocks of Egyptian geese took over dams they also posed a human health threat.
“Waterfowl are a natural feature of any dam but there’ sa big difference between a small number of ducks and coots, for example, pooping into the water of one of our drinking water dams — and tens of hundreds of Egyptian geese doing the same.
“They can cause faecal poisoning.”
He said at one point some years back he had seen a flock of 1,500 on the Loerie Dam.
“Goodness knows how many there are now, but it’ sa concern.
“Canadian geese are causing a similar faecal poisoning problem in the US and consequently shooting culls take place on a continuing basis.”
He said the Egyptian geese nested in hollows in trees or cliffs.
“They scare away owls, falcons and sparrow hawks and steal their hollows or sometimes invade the nests of birds like hamerkops and settle there.
“I’ve even had problems with them taking over owl boxes.”
He said in agricultural crop areas, Egyptian geese congregated in flocks of 1,000 or more.
“The big concern is that farmers might then respond by putting down poison, which can cause huge environmental damage when the poison gets into the food chain and secondary poisoning of other species takes place.
“I sympathise with the Egyptian geese because actually we’re the problem not them, but their numbers must be controlled and shooting is the best method not least because the carcasses can then be given to the many starving human communities out there.”
He said the cull on Beyond Calves should nevertheless have been more carefully thought out.
“There are neighbours with domestic animals fairly close by so a silenced rifle should have been used, not a shotgun.”
Animal Anti-Cruelty League senior inspector Beverley Rademeyer, whose organisation is investigating the Beyond Calves dispute, said her view was properties confronted with Egyptian geese problems needed to look at alternative ways to reduce their numbers, rather than just shooting them.
“People are always looking for a quick fix to their problems.”
Some of the alternatives proposed by different organisations include disturbing the birds at night with loud noises and lights, and deploying fake predators or herding dogs.