‘Their agony never really leaves your mind’, by Danette Wereta

 

The latest blog from wildlife rescuer Danette Wereta who spent a day trying to save Canada geese from gunfire — only to have a man try to run her off the road for it.

On the weekend I spent the day standing on the side of a road saving geese from being shot.

A small group of hunters had set themselves up in a paddock. They had at least 50 decoys spread around the field, artificial wings they waved from where they were lying down to make it look like geese were landing, whistles that mimicked goose calls and camouflage so the geese couldn’t see them. This is a lot to trick geese into believing somewhere is safe so they can be shot.

The paddock had cows in it further up, and across the road were horses. I was told by locals that the horses don’t like the shooting and neither did they. Right beside the paddock was a beautiful waterway where geese and other birds can rest and shelter as they move around the area. I stood on the roadside, which is public property, and every time geese started dropping down towards the decoys I used an airhorn. Often they would be flying high overhead on their way to the wetlands when they spotted what they thought was a safe place to land. The decoys would draw them in and I would use the airhorn to encourage them to keep flying. It is completely legal, it is safe, and it works surprisingly well.

Unfortunately, because of the direction some geese arrived from, the hunters still managed to shoot around five birds before I could scare them away. What people don’t see is that geese don’t necessarily die instantly. Some were wounded and tried to run, and the hunters then had to chase after them and shoot them again while they were clearly frightened and trying to escape. There was cheering every time a goose was killed and at one point dead geese were waved in my direction as though it was something to celebrate, however it just seemed to show their level of maturity.

As someone who does wildlife rescue, I have picked up birds that have been shot and left to die long horrible deaths with bullet wounds. They lie, frightened, injured and suffering, until somebody finds them. Their agony never really leaves your mind.

As the afternoon went on I was able to divert many geese away from the paddock. They turned away immediately when they heard the airhorn and carried on towards the wetlands instead of being lured in. 

At one point an older man drove past in a ute, yelled abuse at me and then repeatedly swerved very fast towards me. At least four times he drove directly in my direction, forcing me off the road and up against a fence, which I assume was electric, so I tried to avoid. I remember screaming and looking around trying to work out where I could go to be safe. At one stage I was looking at a tree and wondering whether I would need to climb it.

He eventually got out of the vehicle and attempted to push me while continuing to yell abuse and nasty words. I repeatedly asked him to stop and told him he was intimidating me. There were tyre marks left on the side of the road where he had driven fast towards me, and what struck me afterwards was not just his extreme violent behaviour but the complete lack of reaction from the hunters. Nobody appeared concerned that someone could have been seriously injured. Nobody stepped in. The matter is now with the police.

As the day went on and more geese were diverted away from the decoys, the hunters became increasingly frustrated. At one stage, they left the paddock and went over to the water to shoot them resting, not retrieving their bodies. Earlier they had called police and attempted to have me trespassed, despite me standing on a public road. Later in the afternoon one of the hunters came over and attempted to intimidate me himself. During his abuse, he did manage to explain that he was shooting geese because they eat grass intended for cows and people need milk and meat. I do not respond or interact when being yelled at or abused. 

What struck me about that explanation was the contradiction. Here was somebody standing beside water, shooting wild birds because they might eat some grass while seemingly ignoring the environmental impacts of animal agriculture. It also got me thinking about the repeated claims regarding the damage geese supposedly cause. Christchurch’s red zones have geese. The wetlands, parks and reserves also have geese. Yet I rarely hear people talking about actual examples of significant damage and I haven’t seen any. Is the issue really environmental, or is it largely economic? 

Are geese simply a villain? They are often portrayed as aggressive, noisy and messy. Yet as someone who does wildlife rescue, I have found geese to be some of the most intelligent and emotionally aware birds I work with. In fact, I would argue swans are territorial and aggressive, and anyone who has spent time around swans knows they can leave behind plenty of poo. Yet swans are admired and celebrated, while geese are often demonised. Is the difference simply appearance? 

Geese are far more complex animals than most people give them credit for. They form long-term pair bonds and often mate for life. They raise their young together and family groups can remain together for extended periods. Anyone who spends time watching geese can see how much communication occurs between them and how closely connected they are. When a goose is shot, it isn’t necessarily just the loss of an individual animal. It may be the loss of a mate, a parent or a member of a family group.

The other thing I found myself thinking about throughout the day was violence. Not just the violence directed at the geese, but the aggression directed at people who challenge it. Research has long identified links between animal cruelty and broader patterns of violence and aggression. That doesn’t mean every hunter is violent, but it does raise questions about what happens when suffering becomes entertainment and when intimidation becomes an acceptable response to disagreement.

There are plenty of proven methods for bird deterrent. They work for multiple bird species, not just the geese.

Thankfully, by the end of the day, the airhorn had worked. For me, that made standing there worthwhile.

 

 

Danette Wereta is a Team Leader, wildlife rescuer and blogger.

She is the Co-leader of the Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.