By Isiah Christie
With summer comes wildlife. And Jersey City residents, used to technology, industry, and architecture – are realizing the beauty of nature in the city more by the day. Canada Geese – originally from their namesake country of Canada – have become a staple in the American northeast, New Jersey included. They can regularly be found waddling around city streets, fields and parks, nurturing their youthful goslings and searching for meals.
Citizens are particularly enamored by the “geese gang”, a group of at least eight adults and over fifty goslings that have been seen randomly around Jersey City and Hoboken. Although they serve as an irritant to the occasional impatient commuter, residents have gladly paused traffic to ensure the safety of these animals at street intersections and even on highways.
While the large volume of birds may come as a shock to some, their tendencies explain the large family – geese mate for life, tend to raise their young collectively, and are not strangers to ushering in orphan goslings that have lost their flock. Mother geese can occasionally be hostile to unfamiliar adults, but can and will form “crèches” – an extended family of sorts, where younger generations of animals are brought into a mother’s supervision to care for them and increase their own welfare.
As aforementioned, Jersey City residents are quite friendly to the wildlife and embrace them as a rising part of their county’s identity. However, many humans are hostile to the animals – the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has participated in the slaughter of families of geese if they deem them obstructive, much to the dismay of animal rights activists and peaceful citizens. The Animal Protection League of New Jersey has recently highlighted these activities, firmly protesting against the culling of geese – especially in Bayonne, who have contracted with the USDA to gas them to death. Advocates from the pro-animal organization recently met at the June 11th council in the city to discourage this behavior and preserve the wildlife, pinning the acts as immoral.
Such human decisions may be influenced by a couple of factors – namely the messes Canada geese can leave behind with their droppings, and their perceived aggression. While the species is known for attacking humans when truly threatened, they are a largely passive entity that will not engage unless directly intimidated. In the case that they are, they are known to stand erect, spread their wings and hiss at adversaries. They will further the stand with charging, pecking and attacking if they continue to feel threatened. However, these occurrences have been rare to nonexistent in Hudson County – Lisa Levinson, who directs the National Goose Protection Coalition, claims that their aggressive behaviors are only alleged and will not occur unless harassed.
Local park-goers and golfers have also shown particular disdain for the animals, claiming that their waste occupies their parks and golfing courses, ruining their experiences and leaving them prone to dirty clothing. Many citizens are in favor of culling the geese, although others find it a bit drastic. Drew Smith of The Liberty Line sarcastically claimed that Jersey City should instead “gas the animal rights activists and leave the geese alone”. Regardless, in parks such as the city’s Liberty State Park, councils have claimed that “they’ve exhausted all other options to rid the park and its pond of the nuisance geese that have taken over”.
It’s safe to say that amidst cute moments of encounter and viral videos, these geese have elevated beyond the charm of a local phenomenon and pose a legitimate threat to the composure of city officials and activists. Environmental workers must work to find a middle ground that both controls these geese, but without inhumane extremities – otherwise, this summer will be one of conflict, protests and natural heartbreak.
