I almost always welcome any assignment that involves animals. So when our news partners at the Charlotte Observer mentioned a man versus nature battle in an east Mecklenburg neighborhood I told my bosses we might have a good story.
The Observer was reporting the homeowners association at Bradfield Farms had voted to buy a fake alligator to scare away some pesky geese from a subdivision park.
I remembered seeing a similar tactic being used at an apartment complex in Ballantyne. I was on another assignment several months ago with photographers Ken Corn and Kevin Wardlaw, and we were all surprised to see an alligator head floating in the pond. We soon realized the head was fake, but it was enough for me to make a mental note and given my track record for covering animal stories, I filed away the information.
The memory came in handy Monday morning when the bosses agreed I should see what these fake gators are all about. I first called the Atlanta corporate office for Post Apartments, the company which owns the Ballantyne complex where I had first spotted the fake gators. A spokeswoman with Post told me the company had purchased the apartment complex after the gator heads had been installed. Fake gators are apparently not a company-wide practice.
We decided to drive to Ballantyne for another look. We spotted three gator heads, but no geese. It seemed the plastic replicas were working until we ran into maintenance worker Heath Kelly. He immediately pointed out a hiding place where a flock of birds was escaping a 90-degree day in the shade. Kelly told us the apartment management planned to rip out the gator heads and will buy a pair of swans instead. Real swans, not the plastic kind. Kelly told us the swans are very effective at chasing off geese, but they are $800 each and there is a waiting list for the birds. It appears people really want swans, not geese.
Still, the president of the homeowners association at Bradfield Farms thought the fake gator was a good idea. Besides, it cost just $56.50, and that includes shipping. A lot cheaper than a couple of swans.
Doug Morris realizes his neighborhood’s $56.50 investment may not work. The gator began floating in the pond, the geese scattered. But the birds still hover nearby. They are still making a mess. One of the geese made a surveillance flight, gliding just inches above the gator to get a good look. I think that bird realized the gator’s a fake.
Mecklenburg County has spent quite a bit more than $56.50 trying to get rid of geese from several parks. We’ve reported on attempts to use smoke machines, border collies, and lasers in recent months at Freedom Park. It’s not clear if any of the tactics had a long-term impact.
The battle of man versus nature rages on.
I welcome any story ideas, even if they don’t involve animals. Drop me a line or two at mboone@wcnc.com.
A follow up to the goose story
I am a resident of Mint Lake Village - a town home community located at the intersection of 51 and Idelwild Road.
We have a goose problem! We hire dogs to run the geese off but this time of year we can not run them off becasue of molting - in theory they can not fly but fly in every day.
The real question is; Why do we have to tolorate these animals? It is my understanding:
* the geese are imported by the state of North Carolina for hunters
* the State of North Carolina imported these geese from a mid west area and that they did not migrate
* these or any Canadian geese are not on any endagered specis list
And finally, despite all the above, these geese are protected! Why?
That is the real story - why do we have to put up with the filth these animals force on our lives?
Rolf Jaeger