A row has broken out over plans to cull 'aggressive' Canada Geese at a beauty spot. The territorial birds have reportedly started demanding food and the amount of droppings in the area is also raising concern.
Town councillors say the number of the large birds at Lydney Lake in Gloucestershire is out of hand and have voted for a cull. But one council member is fighting against the proposed move.
Cllr Louise Penny has launched a petition urging people to join the campaign. "There is no reason to kill geese just because it is an inconvenience to people. Humans and animals need to learn to live alongside each other," she said.
Lydney Recreation Trust said Canada Geese are driving away swans, mallard ducks and other species. In a statement released by the trust said the birds have come to expect to be fed and become aggressive when no food is offered, reports GloucestershireLive.
"We know of several incidents where mothers have reported alarm and distress to their infant children and to themselves when they try to protect their children," said the statement.
The charity runs the sports facilities next to the lake which are used by the town's football, rugby, cricket, tennis and angling clubs. "For well over a year, complaints have been received about the increasing number of Canada Geese at the lake," said the statement.
"Matches have been postponed because of the amount of faeces left on our sports fields – visiting teams have refused to play after inspecting the pitch. Because the trust was set up to deliver sports pitches as its charitable objectives, our primary concern has to be the continued provision of those pitches in a condition fit and safe to play on."
The statement says goose droppings are also poisoning the lake by increasing nitrogen levels and fish numbers have decreased noticeably. Other wildlife species are also being driven out.
"Reducing the number of Canada Geese is an action we take only reluctantly after more than a year of considering other options," said the statement.
Fencing off the sports field would mean the geese could still fly over the pitches and "picking up the faeces would be an unending task like ‘painting the Forth Bridge' they say.
The council has not put any figures forward about the numbers of geese at the lake, nor details of the proposed cull. Cllr Penny suggested setting up a volunteer group set up to carry out work needed that she believes will control the population naturally.
"If you cull geese, more will come, as the area is a perfect habitat for geese," she said. "I am completely against the cull of these geese, no matter how many.
"Because the geese are being fed by humans this causes them occasionally to respond to humans aggressively at times and when protecting their young. By feeding the geese bread, the public are making the problem with the geese worse, this is because it’s not good for them to eat and affects their bodily functions, which is another reason why we have more poo."
