This year’s Canada Goose nesting season at the University of Waterloo saw students and staff begin to adopt the infamous bird as their unofficial mascot, as flocks of geese crowded onto campus.
Geese tend to flock to Waterloo’s campus because it provides a safe place free of natural predators, according to Nick Manning, a media relations officer at the university.
Waterloo’s campus also provides a water source for the birds, he added.
The university tries to ensure students and staff are aware of how to respond to situations where geese become aggressive in order to ensure everyone’s safety, including that of the geese, according to Manning.
“At certain times of the year, geese can become quite protective of their nests,” Manning said via email.
Waterloo’s overwhelming population of geese has become a regular part of campus life, so much so that students can purchase goose-themed t-shirts, mugs, and stuffed geese from the campus shop.
Not only has the campus community made light of the situation, but some have even turned it into an opportunity for innovation.
“We have an annual goose watch to alert people to the nest sites and give advice on how to act around an agitated animal,” Manning said.
“We also have a student who is studying environmental management who is patrolling with his dog to see how the dog patrols affect the nesting habits of the geese.”
The student, Alex Harris, has created a website to document and explain his study, and also provides a page for students to contact him in order to report a goose nest or an attack.
“We want to scare the geese away from specific study areas by directing the attention of the dogs towards troublesome Canada Geese,” the website states.
“This study will be an insight into the emerging trade of the most efficient, ethical, non-intrusive, and cost effective method of goose control available.”
While the Waterloo community seems to have made the most out of goose nesting season, other campuses, such as Medicine Hat College, have had less positive experiences.
An incident occurred April 22 involving a mother goose that refused to vacate her nesting spot in the college’s main parking lot, according to Melinda Arthur, director of facilities at Medicine Hat College.
Someone notified the college’s information services staff of the nest after the goose, affectionately named Gilda, became aggressive, Arthur said via email.
The staff responded by blocking off an area around the nest, taking up over eight parking stalls, to provide space and protection for people and the goose, Arthur said.
She added that students and staff expressed considerable support for this approach.
“We are committed to providing a safe and attractive campus to our students, employees and visitors while also being a ‘nature friendly’ environment,” Arthur said.
