Slashdot Mirror
Meet Canada's Goosebuster Drone
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Tyler LeBlanc reports that Ottawa has a problem — a goose problem. Every summer the wandering waterfowl return to the beaches that line the Ottawa River leaving high concentrations of geese poop on beaches and in shallow water, which can lead to outbreaks of infection in human populations, particularly children. In the past, the city has tried a number of different methods of ridding their beaches of the geese, but this year, they are going high-tech. Steve Wambolt, the founder of Aerial Perspective, modified a drone with some flashing lights and speakers and took to the skies. 'I took existing land-based anti-pest technology and put it on a helicopter,' says Wambolt. 'When I tested it at the beach a few days later it worked remarkably well.' Using pre-recorded predatory calls (video) from hawks, eagles, owls, ravens and even wolves, Wambolt stalks the beaches of Petrie Island in an attempt to scare the loitering geese away from the area for good."
Goosebusters!
Visit the Arcade Restoration Workshop @ http://www.arcaderestoration.com
I guess this is a test for a drone protecting the royal swans owned by HRH Queen Elizabeth II on the Thames.
This serves a function, however it still doesn't seem all that polite to hungry geese on such a long migration. Can't say this is particularly groundbreaking either at this point with drones available off the shelf like bicycles and frozen mashed potatos. Honestly I wish I hadn't read this at all.
Life has never been easy for geese, but this summer, geese who just want to poop in peace have a new problem. As if the humans infesting the beaches of the Ottawa river weren't bad enough, now they've developed an obnoxious new behavior -- flying a drone with flashing lights and speakers that pretends to be a predatory animal. Many geese are saying that something ought to be done about this invasive species, but the goose on the street doesn't see a problem. One local who agreed to be quoted for this story said, "HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK," which is a fairly typical view around these parts.
Why not use hunting as a form of population control? Goose can be tasty, and we can all holler out our windows "Boy! You there, fetch me a Goose."
Why not shoot the geese? The article didn't say that they were protected, endangered, or otherwise not-shootable. Is the section of Ottaway the geese are polluting not safe for discharging firearms?
In New Mexico, we have a number of animals that require culling (due to the elimination of top level predators) and the way New Mexico Game and Fish solves the problem is by issuing hunting licenses. This seems to work pretty well for us.
"Modified a drone with some flashing lights and speakers and took to the skies"
Over the speaker, they say "go fly somewhere else, eh? You hosers."
Better hope they're not like these Geese:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I hate geese.
Hugh Pickens is the new Roland Piquepaille
So what happens if this becomes effective enough that eventually the geese never go there again. Where do they go? Typically places that humans populate are not occupied by many predators and there are lots of open places by the water. So in all likelihood, they will find another place to go that humans occupy too.
(If you had RTFA, you too could have stolen that comment).
Give the geese their peace ... and distribute contraceptives or something.
Ottawa is Canada's national capital. The Ottawa river runs along the base of Parliament Hill, home to Parliament itself and the seat of the Federal government in Canada. Let me put it this way, in this day and age of terrorism threats, how far up the Potomac River , how close to the Pentagon and other important sites in Washington would you get with a loaded gun before police or some government agency swept down on you?
"But officer, I was just here to cull all those noisy birds because they keep leaving their droppings all over the place!" I lived in Ottawa once. If you said something like that there, I think the first assumption most police there would make is that your comment was a poor joke about the politicians in Parliament, not talking about real birds.
The other thing is there is little public support for culling birds in the urban areas of Canada, especially geese, because almost always they are "Canada Geese" we are talking about.
Put it this way - getting a permit to shoot Canada Geese in Ottawa would almost be the same thing as trying to get a permit to shoot American Bald Eagles in Washington, DC, regardless if they are protected or not. The symbolism alone almost stops you in your tracks.
mini helicopters.
The problem is people. Nature is just behaving normally. The solution is not this gizmo band-aid.
I just woke up and am not in a state of mind to do it myself. Someone please write us a song about being terrorized by Canadian geese to go with the theme song.
The Geese need somewhere to live, too. This stinks of homocentrism and speciesist thinking.
Love sees no species.
One goose says to another goose: "Let's not land here, there's flying wolves in these parts."
Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
Two pounds a day per goose (that's almost a kilogram) - it adds up quickly.
The US government have made it clear that we have no inalienable rights; any we do not defend vigorously will be taken.
How about leaving the geese alone and removing the humans from the beaches they use when they visit? Humans are there to play in the water. The geese are there to rest, because they've been traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles.
Charles Dickens wrote the endearing Christmas stories where a turkey replaced the traditional goose on the family table.
Boston MA drinking water comes primarily from Western Mass., a reservoir called the Quabbin. The water that leaves this reservoir exceeds drinking standard quality as it enters the aqueduct toward Boston. It is beautiful, crystal clear water.
However, that aqueduct comes to the surface in the Wachusett Reservoir, and the quality takes a big hit because of bird shit, primarily from geese and seagulls. There is no hunting permitted in most areas of the watershed, so guess where the birds decide to land? You can walk through the watershed and literally get close enough to touch the geese, they are that unafraid, but you can't shoot them.
We need to start a public service campaign to reverse this error and start shooting and eating these tasty winged polluters.
Cedar Rapids, IA developed their own anti-goose drone as well.
Would've added dramatic effect as well...
Clearly this is all a secret ploy by the diaper lobby. They scare the shit out of the geese, and all of a sudden people demand we put diapers on them so theys top shitting on said people!
In the past, the city has tried a number of different methods of ridding their beaches of the geese, but this year, they are going high-tech.
This is what they did last year, these beaches are in the middle of a city so hunting is out of the question so some kid got contracted to scare them off with a quad copter.
and to save everyone time last years commets can be summarized:
"Lets shoot em"
RE: No its in a city no firearms discharge allowed
"rabble rabble just shoot them"
RE: no its in a city no firearms discharge allowed
"Can't they just open season on them"
RE: No still in a city no firearms discharge allowed
Just come up with a delicious goose recipe, and their population will dwindle quickly
Table-ized A.I.
It will stop working when the geese realize that the drones never eat a goose and can be safely ignored.
Brackets contain world's first nanosig, highly magnified:[.]
They're not really endangered any more. It's a legal fiction.
Really? "not safe for discharging firearms?"
Well, if they were not in a city, why chase them away?
They are also protected, both in the US and Canada.
http://www.ec.gc.ca/mbc-com/default.asp?lang=en&n=98A918B1-1#ws988AAEC9
Are Canada Geese protected and can they be hunted?
Yes, Canada Geese are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 (MBCA). This Act arose from an international treaty -- the Migratory Birds Convention -- between Canada and the United States, signed in 1916.
You kill and eat them. With proper management they're a sustainable resourse. In the US if they were included in game animals the fees and taxes hunters pay on ammunition, firearms, licenses etal could be used to make sure they were a sustainable game animal.
Maybe the candidians could learn that.
I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
Surely, we have every right to scare away geese that have probably visited those beaches for hundreds of years, if not more. Surely we cannot stay off the beaches when the geese are there, that would be way too hard. Our ability to go to the beach is way more importantWe are mankind, ruler of nature, screw those geese!
Reminds me of those Brits that go live in the flood plain of the Thames only to complain that it's the conservationists fault (protecting some rare species of clam) when their houses and towns flood...
Nature, get off our lawn!
The geese are protected in Canada. It is illegal to shoot them.
I guess that's why there are more animals in Canada than the US. I am not sure, but I think the fact there are more lunatics with guns in the US is not related.
Yes. The goose came here for ever.
The problem seems to be instead the children on the beaches. Let's eradicate those children!