Canada geese twice as likely to return if you shoo them away

By Mark Waghorn via SWNS

Canada geese are twice as likely to return if you shoo them away, according to new research.

The pesky birds attack people during nesting season, foul public places with their toxic green excrement and ravage crops.

They also leave droppings on playground equipment and, most seriously, pose a risk to aircraft. It has been dubbed "the most loathsome bird" in Britain.

With a wing span of up to six feet, its droppings are infamous - and it produces them at the rate of one every 40 seconds.

They contain a wide variety of bacteria that can cause serious illnesses, including gastroenteritis.

But the best way to deter Canadian geese is to ignore them, say scientists. Experiments found they come back twice as often when approached by humans.

Lead author Dr. Ryan Askren of the University of Illinois said: "They seemed to perceive we weren't a real threat - just a mild annoyance."

The breed native to North America has plagued Britain for decades - making its home from St James's Park in London to the farmlands of the Fens.

They look majestic soaring across the sky but are a terrible nuisance on the ground. The population has ballooned - with calls for the vagrants to be culled.

They take up residence in densely populated areas - but harassing them may backfire, say the US team.

Dr. Askren and colleagues fitted individuals in Marquette Park near Midway Airport in Chicago with GPS trackers and activity monitors to record their behavior.

They repeatedly chased them out by walking or driving towards them, clacking wooden boards together.

The idea is to force the geese to expend energy to escape a threatening situation, reports New Scientist.

It is believed they decide the risk of staying in a particular location outweighs the benefits in the form of food or rest.

As expected, the geese quickly departed. But they returned to the park twice as quickly on days when they were harassed - compared to when they left of their own accord.

Lynsey White of the Humane Society of the United States wasn't surprised the
tactics didn't work.

She said: "It's fairly well established the most effective techniques for aversively
conditioning Canada geese are with specially trained goose dogs or with
human-operated lasers."

Canada geese were brought to Britain by Charles II in 1665. Numbers have soared since the 1950s due to more suitable habitats like reservoirs and flooded gravel pits.

Once imported by wealthy individuals as ornaments in the 17th century, there are now an estimated 190,000 in the wild. They are renowned for their intelligence.

Chef Prue Leith once suggested they should be served by restaurants - adding they are best grilled with teriyaki sauce. The study is in the Wildlife Society Bulletin.