Let your children drown then!

[air914]

Wow I had no idea geese were so dangerous! Is it okay to feed ducks?? I never really liked the geese b/c they were so much more aggressive than ducks - I usually threw bread at them and stayed far away..... now I guess I won't be going anywhere near them!

People are soooo stupid w/ animals.... I remember being in Yellowstone Park and people were walking up with their babies and small children right up to a HUGE deer w/ antlers (buck?). They also were heading right towards the buffalo! Hello people - HUGE animals???? The deer could GORE you w/ those antlers????? No let's let little baby get up next to this wild animal...... surely they wouldn't allow animals that attack people in the NATIONAL PARK? right??? I think my family called the park rangers to report the idiots....

Oh and for the dad "Here's YOUR sign"...... is it optional? If it was, why would there be a sign???? I guess it's better that he asked instead of just deciding it was optional....shows a tiny tiny bit of sense......

[RecoveringKinkoid]

You'd be suprise how many people think any park they happen to be at is Disneyworld. No respect at all for the animals. They think animals, no matter if its' a buck, an elk, or a bear, are no different than Micky and Goofy in big costume suits.

Ducks seem to be okay. They can peck, but they are pretty beneign. Hens are okay. Roosters, well, they can be dangerous. I've heard of them flying up and spurring people in the head or face or neck. I used to keep chickens, and carried a baseball bat to collect eggs or work in my coop. And I had to swing it a few times at roosters flying at my head with their spurs ready. Nice solid thump with a bat usually lasts for a week or two. Then they forget, and you have to do it again. And my chickens, being Jungle Fowl, tended to be a little smarter than average. They were also smaller than average, and unfortunately, they were more aggressive than average.

As it was, I had several torn pairs of pants where they managed to connect with my leg and spur me through my pants. Haven't ever been spurred bare-legged, thank God, but they managed to gouge me up pretty good anyway.

Give you an idea, my alpha male was named Ghengis Khan.

[Munty]

I have to ask.
How do Swans compare to geese?

Background info: I walk up a canal every day, and there's a flock of Swans on it. A couple of geese and some other birds, but mostly Swans. 13 of them at last count, if I remember correctly. (Almost all of the birds spend time on the foot path, so you frequently are within arms reach of them.)

Edit: Maybe I should read the whole thread before replying.

Oh and Peahens are vicious little buggers.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Probably, they are used to humans and won't bother you if you don't act threatening around them, expecially if they have young ones with them. Just be on your guard and you should be okay.

[protege]

Plus, if one of them poops on your car, it looks like your car was dookied on by a flock of pterodactyls.

I *hate* Canada geese. Whenever they fly south, they always stop off in one of the fields across from Grandma's house. They are soooo noisy, dirty, and annoying. So much, that her neighbor has resorted to shooting them to try to make them leave.

[blas]

Are swans dangerous you ask?

Ask my 7 year old laborador retriever, Bear, what happened when she got curious and wanted to sniff the beautiful white bird....

[spork_the_cat]

Wow I had no idea that geese could be that dangerous. I guess I’ve only encountered one that are pretty used to humans. As long as you don’t get into there “personal bubble” they are fine with you. I’ve had a couple hiss at me but once I take a step back the go back to whatever they were doing. Once I had a family of geese, 2 adults and 3 or 4 babies, eat out of my hands. The parents were perfectly fine with the babies coming right up to me and my friends and eating out of our hands. We were really surprised that they did that.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Canada Geese. Georgeous birds.

They are gigantic.

I am an outdoorswoman, and hike a lot (at least, I did before I became a mom). I hike alone a lot. The idea of snakes will not put me off a trail. The possibilities of ticks and spiders will not put me off a trail.

One day, I rounded a bend on my way to a pond I knew and there were three enormous Canada Geese hanging out. A mated pair and their young one, who was already pretty huge in his own right.

Oh, crap!!!!

I beat a hasty retreat and took an alternate trail. One that went WAAAY away from that area.

[DesignFox]

So much, that her neighbor has resorted to shooting them to try to make them leave.

Canada geese are a federally protected bird- not a good idea to be shooting them. There are specified hunting seasons and a special permit is required.

As a solution, your friend's neighbor could hire the "Geese Police." They will come out with some herding dogs and chase the birds off the property.

[AFpheonix]

Only the migrating Canada geese are protected. The flocks that hang out year-round are not.

We used to have goose. God, that thing was awful. It would chase the chickens, it would chase the dogs, it would chase me. We finally got fed up with it, and took it up to Forest Park. It hung out with the flocks of ducks and geese up there. Hindsight being 20/20, probably not the kindest thing, but it was that or eat it ourselves, and since it was already a few years old he'd probably be kind of tough.

The last roosters we've had have all been great chaps, but then they're pretty tame breeds, Winedots, usually. Even the little bantams are pretty nice. We have had mean ones too, though. Usually just taking a piece of 2x4 in with me was enough of a deterrent.
We used to have a little bantam named Taxi who was just a territorial little turd. One day he took a disliking to Grandpa's big rototiller and attacked it. He got sucked into the blades, and you could see him go around and around until it finally spat him out. Amazingly, he survived, he only lost one eye. Still was a mean little bugger though.

[Midnight12]

a thought comes to mind, take the entire privlege away because of all this crap...and then blame it on people like her who complain. oh wait that would be shorting the customer, heaven forbid

[felixxkatt]

I love how YOU ruined their day by trying to keep their kids alive and preventing them by being assaulted by geese. you big meanie, you!

[lordlundar]

I have to ask.
How do Swans compare to geese?

If you see a nesting swan, you're too close.
If you see a nesting goose, you're too close.

They are a fair bit more dangerous than geese, mainly for their size. Best advice is to always respect any animal, no matter how innocent they look.

This lady in one of my Darwin Awards books decided to cover her kid with honey. When the park ranger (who was guiding the tour this lady was in) asked her why, her response was "I want to take a picture of the bear licking the honey off of him." Ranger intervened pretty quickly.

[Bluenomi]

If you think geese are bad, you should see an emu! They are 10 times the size, sharp beaks and very long, strong legs. One of those wandering up towards you is enough to make anyone start backing away. Especially when they start feeling agro.

[lordlundar]

Especially when they start feeling agro.

GAH! MMO Addiction! I need 30cc of life injected, stat!