A Tale of Two Species -- Canada Geese and Raccoons

One of two nesting geese currently in Central Park. (Note broken egg shells in front of nest.)

 

As expected, the explanation by Central Park Conservancy for sudden loss of most Canada goose eggs this spring, is "raccoons."

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Those familiar with this blog know that I have been skeptical of this theory for numerous reasons, primary among them, the long running policy of the Conservancy to addle and/or destroy goose eggs and usually being loathe to admit to it.

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But, there are other reasons as well.

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It was for example, difficult to imagine raccoons successfully fending off defensive attack by both, the nesting hen and her gander to protect their eggs. Geese are quite formidable when nesting and will use wings and bills to literally "beat off" any threats to their nests. (No animal unless desperately hungry wants to risk injury to get a meal if they don't have to -- and with all the available "free" food in Central Park during spring, raccoons are not desperate at all.) Secondly, goose eggs are large and they are heavy. It would be virtually impossible for a raccoon to carry away such cumbersome cargo in their mouths or hands or to try and consume them in front of two angry geese.

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While perhaps convenient to blame an omnivorous predator for goose egg losses, the explanation didn't make sense with what we know about geese and raccoons.

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Nevertheless, not wanting to go strictly by my own observations and perceptions, I sought to find information and/or documentation to the actual facts of any raccoon depredations on goose eggs.

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My first stop was YouTube which contains videos on just about everything. I typed in, "Raccoon depredation of eggs," "Raccoon attacks on geese," and came up with nothing other than raccoons eating chicken eggs that people gave to them.  

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I then Googled similar subject matter and finally found, what seems to be documented evidence and confirmation of what was already suspected:  Raccoons do not represent viable threat to Canada goose eggs (for all the reasons described) unless a larger predator such as a coyote creates an "opening" by either killing or successfully chasing off nesting geese.

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http://www.chicagowilderness.org/CW_Archives/issues/fall2005/stakeout.html

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In the article above, it was discovered through the use of surveillance cameras over a two year period, that it was coyotes who represented substantial threat to goose eggs and were in fact, responsible for significant egg losses in Chicago. Geese were more than capable of "beating off" smaller predators such as raccoons and possums. In 45 filmed attempts of raccoons near goose eggs, only one raccoon was actually successful in stealing an egg -- and that was only after sustaining wing beatings of geese and one goose actually jumping on and pecking the raccoon's back. Even the writer of the article refers to the successful raccoon as "very hungry and desperate."  (Note: There are neither coyotes nor desperately hungry raccoons in Central Park.)

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But, even if we didn't have documented video surveillance of geese successfully defending nests from suspected predators (in one case, even chasing off a coyote), one could surmise raccoons weren't a strong threat against waterfowl in general. Were that the case, mallards would not wander so freely and confidently among raccoons which is observed frequently in Central Park.

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Currently, there are two remaining and known nesting goose pairs in Central Park. Both, the hens and their ganders are vigilant and completely devoted to each other and to duty.

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Unfortunately, neither I nor my friends are optimistic any of the eggs will hatch.

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In a few weeks, when presumably watching again, the distress of the geese when realizing their eggs are lifeless and unviable, we will however, not be cursing raccoons.   -- PCA

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The Mysteries of Greta and Her Dream-Weaving Blanket of Gold

Nesting Greta......

And what appeared on Sunday to be "empty nest," but might have been something else?

 

So far, this spring there have been four observable and nesting goose pairs in Central Park -- down from eight of last year.

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Of the four nesting couples, two have lost their entire batch of eggs due to mysterious circumstances. A third pair has suffered the loss of at least two eggs, (observed smashed and broken at the side of the nest) and the fourth, well, it's not quite clear what is actually happening with the fourth nesting pair.

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That is because of the interesting things learned about Canada geese, one of them is that nesting hens are capable of constructing a kind of blanket with which to cover and completely hide their eggs from view. The "blanket" appears to be a carefully woven composition of old leaves, twigs and down feathers that when woven and bound together, forms one complete and solid piece of gold and white that can be cleverly pulled over the eggs in order to camouflage and hide them.

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I learned this yesterday when observing Greta and her mate, Hansel, still nesting at the Reservoir.

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When seeing the pair this past Sunday, it appeared that (like John and Mary to the north side of the watercourse), Greta had suddenly lost all of her five eggs as none were visible in the small, flat nest. Moreover, the nesting hen appeared nervous and agitated, constantly staring down and pecking at the dirt and gold leaves below her feet as if "searching" for something. 

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Unlike the previous two pairs of geese forced to abandon suddenly emptied nests, Greta eventually sat down again on hers and appeared to resume nesting. 

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Doesn't she realize all her eggs are gone? I wondered. What I was seeing wasn't making a lot of sense.  But, it would not be the first time of being surprised this week.

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The following day (Tuesday) when returning to the scene, I was first surprised to find Greta still on the nest. But, I was even more surprised, when seeing her stand up, that there were at least two large and perfect eggs beneath her!

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I had read and known that some geese, when losing eggs, lay more. (This is  why oiling goose eggs is generally considered preferable to destroying them outright. -- So the hen continues to sit on the unviable eggs and doesn't lay more.)  But could such be accomplished within such a short time span?  I was completely perplexed!

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But surprise turned to utter shock yesterday when again seeing Greta stand up in the nest and noting six eggs beneath her!  How is such even possible? I wondered. (Apparently if geese lose eggs within fourteen days of laying them, they can quickly lay more.)

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Totally baffled by the swift changing circumstances with Greta (one day she has eggs, the next day she doesn't and then the next day she has them again), I continued to walk around the Reservoir, taking time to greet John and Mary who only a few days before, lost their entire batch of six eggs.  Surprisingly, the pair (who for the past three years, have nested at the Reservoir only to all three times lose their eggs), were observed swimming around the nesting area again.  Does this mean they are going to try again? Nesting season was beginning to become a series of unanswerable and baffling mysteries.

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Finally, having walked full circle, I returned back to Greta. Once again, Greta was standing in her nest and this time, no eggs were visible! 

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And then I saw Greta gently tugging at the "blanket" she had so delicately woven and carefully pulled over the eggs. Not a hint of white shell anywhere!

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I then had to ask myself:  Was this what had occurred on Sunday when no eggs were visible in the nest?  Had Greta simply been hiding them under the carefully constructed blanket?

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The "blanket" is not big -- perhaps a foot or so in diameter and it is only about 1/4 of an inch thick. It's possible that when laid out carefully over the eggs, the ground could appear "flat," as it appeared yesterday -- and Sunday. 

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On the other hand, could the eggs have been removed and/or tampered with by humans on Sunday as has deliberately been done for years in Central Park and apparently done to two other nesting geese this year -- including one on the Reservoir this past weekend?

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It's really hard to know in the specific case of Greta and her "disappearing eggs" if this is due to cleverness on the part of the goose (i.e. nature) or nefarious actions of humans.

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The only real way to know for sure would be on the actual date the eggs hatch. If hatching during the last week in May, it would indicate these are the original eggs and were simply covered and hidden from view on Sunday. But, if hatching after the first week in June, it would mean these are new eggs layed in the last couple of days following predation of the original five. 

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The "problem" with either of the above scenarios, is that the eggs are unlikely to hatch at all as is the recent track history of goose eggs in Central Park and the practices of egg addling and goose harassment. As previously noted, of the more than 40 goose eggs laid last year in Central Park, only two healthy goslings hatched. (That is not "nature." That is human depredation.)

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Reality is, we may never know the answer to the mysteries of Greta and her "vanishing eggs."

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But, in writing about Central Park and its wildlife policies and treatment of Canada geese, I seek to be as honest, fair and factual as possible.

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And though human intervention (egg destruction) is the usual and typical explanation for why goose eggs "disappear" or don't hatch in Central Park, it may not be applicable in every case.

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Greta might just be one very clever goose -- and a real good leaf and down weaver. -- PCA

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Empty Nest Syndrome -- The Mysterious, Vanishing Goose Eggs of Central Park

Mary on nest containing six eggs two weeks ago at Reservoir. This weekend, all the eggs mysteriously and suddenly vanished.

A Central Park raccoon. Can these animals be the easy scapegoats now for goose egg losses?

The five eggs of another nesting CP goose that also mysteriously and suddenly vanished this same weekend.

Re-nesting. After losing one batch of eggs, this goose is trying again.

 

Empty nest syndrome. Usually the term is lightly associated with human parents whose adult kids leave home.

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But, "empty nest syndrome" is something the nesting Canada geese in Central Park are experiencing big time this spring. The hens lay eggs and a week or two later, all the eggs mysteriously and suddenly disappear. The hen is literally left standing and staring over an empty nest.

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The first geese to experience this phenomena were Napoleon and Josephine who nested on the tiny island at Harlem Meer.   A week after eggs were laid, something happened and Napoleon joined Josie at the nesting site presumably to defend and try to protect the eggs from viable threat.  Despite the effort, all eggs were lost and the next day, both geese were observed grazing together on the lawns. Shortly after, Napoleon and Josie left Harlem Meer to apparently return to the Boat Lake -- the place they usually go through the molt together.

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At the time, I attributed the egg losses to a rain storm that had occurred a couple of days before and possibly flooded the nest.

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But, now I have doubts about that.

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That is because the same occurred to John and Mary this past weekend at the Reservoir and there was no rain storm.

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I was shocked on Sunday to discover Mary off of what appeared, a completely empty nest. All six eggs had seemed to suddenly and mysteriously vanish. There was not a trace of white anywhere on the nest.

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I tried to speculate and hope that Mary had just temporarily covered up and hidden the eggs while taking a dip in the water (which nesting geese sometimes do).

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But the fact she and her gander, John, were just moping around the nesting site with no attempt on Mary's part to return to it, did not seem a good omen.

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I decided not to draw conclusion to the scene, but rather return to it the next day.

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On Monday, both geese had abandoned the nesting area (at the north of the Reservoir) to return to the west side of the watercourse. All that remained of the old nest were some tattered leaves and small pieces of down blowing in the breeze. One would never know eggs had ever been there at all.

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But, there was still more shock to come.

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Another nesting pair of geese also appeared to have lost all their eggs suddenly.

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The hen in that case was observed standing and staring over an empty and shallow nest that only the day before had contained five eggs.

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What is going on? I wondered. This can't be happening again!

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The hen in the second case, appeared confused and distraught. She pecked at and through the leaves as if looking for the lost eggs. But, unlike Mary, this goose sat down and appeared to renest on the empty nest!

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I could not figure the scene before me. Was the goose mourning loss of her eggs? Or did she think that by renesting, the eggs would miraculously return? As her gander was acting normally, it was impossible to gage any clues from him.

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Yesterday, I returned to the same location and was stunned to find at least two eggs in the same nest that the day before appeared to have none. Apparently, the second goose laid new eggs!

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This scenario seems to have occurred in another goose nesting location where a hen is currently sitting on three eggs -- alongside broken eggs nearby.

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It is presumed anyone questioning the Central Park Conservancy about the suddenly vanishing (or broken) goose eggs of at least four nesting goose pairs, will be emphatically told that, "raccoons are stealing the eggs."

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Unfortunately, this makes little sense under the circumstances.

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For one matter, I have never observed raccoons on the tiny island at Harlem Meer where Josephine nested -- though they are in other parts of the park.

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For another, geese are extremely adept at defending their nest and eggs against raccoons. Both, the hen and gander rise up, flap wings, hiss, chase and even aggressively peck at any raccoons wandering near the nesting site. I have witnessed this many times, including recently with John and Mary. The raccoons are always sent running. As such, a raccoon would have to be extremely lucky and bold to grab even one goose egg, let alone five and six in one raid.

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Another thing to consider is that there is plenty of available food in Central Park these days for raccoons to easily rummage garbage cans.  They would not need to take up battle with fiercely defending and aggressive geese and it's highly unlikely they would want to.

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(Last year, after two nesting geese died at the Reservoir in Central Park, their eggs laid untouched for many days and even weeks. The eggs should have been easy pickings for raccoons then.)

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For these reasons and more, the raccoon explanation makes little sense, but rather, seems to provide convenient excuse.

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Last year, we had eight known nesting goose pairs in Central Park which would add up to approximately 40 laid eggs.

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As noted, two of the nesting hens mysteriously perished at the Reservoir roughly ten days after laying their eggs. I speculated then and believe the hen's deaths were related to egg addling policies of Central Park that somehow went wrong. (Coating eggs with corn oil, so the embryos suffocate from lack of oxygen and fail to hatch.) 

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Of the other 30 or so goose eggs laid last year, only five goslings hatched.

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But, the three goslings hatched at the Reservoir failed to develop properly and all three perished within a month of hatching. (I suspect in that case, oiling occurred too late to actually kill the goslings in the eggs, but it did deprive them of needed oxygen. The goslings sadly were just never quite right and the parents appeared to know that at the time. Nevertheless the mother and dad never neglected their parental duties towards their doomed offspring and tried to carry on as if the babies were normal.)

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At the Boat Lake in Central Park last year, "Man and Lady" nested a total of three times and after losing the first two batches of eggs, finally hatched two healthy goslings in late June (much presumably to the frustration of Geese Police and Central Park Conservancy).

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All of this brief "history" brings us to today and the mystery of the recently vanishing goose eggs when only four pairs of geese have known to be nesting.

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I am wondering if, due to failures of egg addling last year, as well as public complaint about the destructive policies and other actions of Geese Police, if the powers that be at Central Park decided on different action this year?

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For example, remove and destroy goose eggs, rather than oil them?

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As noted, if people question the disappearing eggs, the losses can easily be attributed to raccoons.

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I don't know the answers to these questions. But, I do know that if questioning the Central Park Conservancy, I will either be given no response to written questions or untruths to directly asked, oral ones. 

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For example, "We harass resident Canada geese to make room for migratory geese."  The truth is, migratory geese are also harassed by Geese Police in Central Park as they were repeatedly this past winter. Geese Police doesn't differentiate between migratory and resident geese. To them any goose is target for "Get the Flock Out!"  harassment and destruction action policy.

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So, no, I am not going to ask the questions this time around. -- perhaps other people will. But, perhaps the only real question to ask is to see the depredation permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife for such destructive policies against a supposedly "protected" bird under the federal, Migratory Bird Act Treaty of 1918 which specifically forbids destruction of goose eggs. 

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Perhaps instead of thousand dollar "donations," Central Park Conservancy should  receive fines for their endless harassment and destruction of Canada geese.

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"Empty nest syndrome" is no laughing and light matter. -- PCA

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"A Seat at the NYC Marathon Breakfast Table!" (But Where Are The Swans, Geese and Ducks?)

Napoleon and Josephine following loss of their eggs last week at Harlem Meer. They have since moved on from the repeated grief.

 

After losing their eggs last week at Harlem Meer, it appears Napoleon and Josephine are not planning to re-nest as both geese were observed yesterday at the Boat lake in Central Park.

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If true, that is (bittersweet) good news for a couple of reasons:

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First, since it has been policy in Central Park for a number of years to "addle" goose eggs, any further eggs laid by Josie would not be allowed to hatch. She and her mate would once again go through the rigors of nesting only to realize failure and grief as they've experienced in the past three years.

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Secondly, I am personally happy the mated pair left Harlem Meer for the Boat Lake for it means I no longer feel reason to check out the Meer.  Such has become a depressing experience over the past year for remembering what the Meer used to be and comparing that to what it is now.

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Only a few years ago, Harlem Meer was replete with all kinds of water birds, including scores of Canada geese, mallards, shovelers and even two mute swans.

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As of this past Sunday, there were only three mallards on the entire lake.

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Unfortunately, that is virtually how all the lakes and ponds at Central Park currently are. -- Devoid of all, but a few scattered water birds.

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The last Central Park swan was harassed out of Harlem Meer exactly two years ago and the remaining water birds are subjected to regular "Geese Police" harassment and in the case of Canada geese, egg destruction.

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Perhaps it should come as no surprise that in a solicitation letter received yesterday from Douglas Blonsky, President and CEO of Central Park Conservancy, there is no mention whatsoever of wildlife or birds in CP.

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I am however promised, that if making a donation of $1,000 or more, I would be "entitled to great Conservator benefits" such as, "Invitations to behind-the-scenes tours, lectures and receptions with Park professionals....an invitation to the Annual Conservatory Garden Cocktail Party and Walking Tour.....an invitation to the new New York Philharmonic with preferred seating....a seat at the New York City Marathon Breakfast table and so much more."  (Emphasis supplied.)

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The letter then goes on to assure that, "your investment today will be rewarded every time you walk through the Park for years to come."

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I am thinking that the $300.00 "investment" I made a few years ago to the Central Park Conservancy was "rewarded" by the hiring of Geese Police and the seemingly tireless efforts to clear nearly all of the wildlife out of the park. A letter personally written to Douglas Blonsky several years ago on these matters wasn't even answered.

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In the form letter received yesterday, I would not even know Mr. Blonsky was talking about a park as much as some kind of entertainment or sports center.

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Well, surprise surprise:  I can do without a seat at the NYC Marathon Breakfast Table, guided tours and "preferred seating" at concerts.

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What I can't and don't want to do without is seeing and enjoying the wildlife of Central Park which is slowly, but inexorably disappearing.

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How surprising and sad was it to see a photo posted on Twitter yesterday of at least 9 swans swimming in what appears the Boat Lake of Central Park.  But the photo was taken more than a century ago. There haven't been swans at the CP Boat Lake in more than a decade. (And the DEC wants to eliminate all wild mute swans in the entire state of New York by the next decade.)

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https://twitter.com/SaveOurSwans/status/592632178753822720

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Ah, a seat at the Marathon Breakfast table! -- While I have to be cautious about publicly denoting the locations of the few pairs of currently nesting geese in Central Park.

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Thankfully, Napoleon and Josephine are no longer among them.

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I guess the beleaguered geese finally figured out that the place that served as their home and birth place was not putting out the welcome mat for future goose offspring.

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But, there'll always be plenty of red carpets for celebrity events, marathons and other "rewards" -- just as long as they don't quack, honk, crawl, swim or fly.  -- PCA. 

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Love, Devotion and Duty Amongst the Geese

Napoleon (L) and Josephine (R). A picture of enduring devotion, duty and love.

An uneasy feeling swept over me Tuesday evening when checking on Napoleon and Josephine at Harlem Meer, as I saw neither goose.

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I did not expect to see Josephine as she would be obscured by foliage surrounding the tiny island on which she nested. The island is located in the middle of the lake to its western side. As in past years, it is dutifully patrolled by Napoleon swimming nearby when his mate is nesting. 

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But, Napoleon was nowhere to be seen on Tuesday -- even after I walked around the entire Meer twice!

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A gander does not up and leave when his mate is nesting. So I had to consider the possibilities of the situation and none were pleasant:

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1-- Something happened to Napoleon. Either sudden illness and death or unlikely attack by dog or other predator.

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2-- Something happened to Josephine.  Illness, sudden death. But, even in that instance, it's unlikely Napoleon would simply take off and leave.

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3-- Napoleon was on the island, alongside his mate.  But, ganders rarely if ever go directly to the nesting side unless the eggs or mate are under attack or eggs have been lost.

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Not being able to see past the trees and foliage on the island, I was not able to draw any conclusions, so I simply vowed to return the next day.

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Yesterday, I returned to Central Park, but first went to check on the other pair of nesting geese -- John and Mary at the Reservoir.

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Much to my shock and dismay, John was also missing from patrol in the waters near his nesting mate! (For her part, Mary was sitting on her eggs, not appearing perturbed in any way. But, where was her mate?)

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Despite looking everywhere amongst the rocks and water to the east and west of the nest location, there was no sign of John!

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How could it be that in two days, the two ganders of nesting hens suddenly up and leave?

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None of it was making sense and all of it was perturbing.

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Still, I had to consider that I could not see well to the opposite, south side of the Reservoir. While it didn't make sense that John would wander all the way to the south side (far from nesting site) it was a possibility I would have to check later.

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At the moment however, I had to return to Harlem Meer to check if Napoleon was back.

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Imagine the surprise (and relief) when arriving at the Meer to find both, Napoleon and Josephine casually grazing on the grass!

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It was then evident that Josephine had lost the eggs she had been sitting on for less than a week. Apparently, Napoleon had joined her on the island the previous day to either defend the eggs from predation or more likely, simply join her in mourning their loss.

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It is suspected the eggs might have been flooded during the heavy rainstorm on Monday or were lost to some type of predation from animals or human (i.e. "goose management?"). I personally believe the storm flooding scenario, as goose management usually consists of oiling eggs (so goose will continue to nest), rather than destroying them outright.

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I was both sad and relieved when seeing Napoleon and Josephine together again yesterday.

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Sad that once again they had experienced egg loss. But, extremely relieved that both geese were otherwise OK. Of the three possibilities originally considered, egg loss was the least grievous, though still mournful in its own right.  

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For their part, neither Napoleon or Josephine appeared particularly down or traumatized over still another loss.  Rather, they seemed to take it in stride. ("That's nature?")

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Napoleon even muttered his low, "huh" greeting when he and Josie walked up to me.

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The behavior was in sharp contrast to how the two lovers usually appear when realizing unviability of their eggs after a whole month of sitting on or guarding them.  In past years, both, Napoleon and Josephine (and other failed nesting goose pairs) typically grieve the egg losses for at least a couple of days and even appear to hold "mock funerals" for them, staying close to the nesting site.

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This was another reason why I suspected the eggs lost in this case were due to natural causes. The geese rebounded quickly.  (On this note, there is possibility they may attempt to renest as it is still relatively early in the season.) 

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Finally leaving Harlem Meer, I returned back to the Reservoir and was pleasantly surprised to find John in his usual spot. -- Dutifully patrolling the waters surrounding Mary's nesting site. 

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But where had John disappeared to earlier and why had he left, I wondered?

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I would soon get an answer to both questions. 

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When finally departing the Reservoir at the East 90th Street entrance, I could see in the distance, three geese to the far south west portion of it.

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John had apparently and deliberately "wandered" to the south Reservoir earlier to lay down the rules to the newly arriving geese. --  "Stay in this corner or else!"

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In essence, what might have initially appeared as ganders suddenly abandoning their nesting mates was quite the opposite in both cases.

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In the one instance, Napoleon went to his mate to provide solace for their recent egg losses and in the second instance, John had to once again establish territory and ward off any "intruders."

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Both, Mary and Josephine are fortunate to have such devoted, loving and dutiful partners. -- The kind of partners that many humans might envy.  -- PCA

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The Animals We Love to Hate -- The "C's" Have It

The "evil" of the outdoor cat.

Nesting Canada goose -- "Spawn of Satan."

 

A funny thought occurred to me.

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That is, were I an animal, I would not want to be a species whose name begins with "C."

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It seems the animals with C names are those humans most love to hate.

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Examples?

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Canada geese, cats, coyotes and carriage horses.

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(On the latter, one could argue that "carriage" is not the name of an actual animal species as it is really horses that represent both, the species and issue of controversy.  But, it is specifically carriage horses who are accused of being "unwitting weapons," "contaminants of Central Park" and "not belonging in the city."  Such things are not said about police horses, riding horses or race horses.  So it must be the "carriage" attached to their name that causes so much derision and seeming debasement? Could the "C" be bad luck for the horses -- or any animal species? Come to think of it, cougars and coons aren't too popular either with humans.)

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In recent months (and years) there have been endless news articles vilifying the species named above. It appears the "C" animals are favorite targets of both, conventional and social media, "knife and fork clubs" and humans who, for whatever reason, have some gripe with life and seek a convenient animal scapegoat to focus their frustrations on.

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Canada geese are a particular favorite for this -- especially during the warmer months when the geese nest, raise young or choose certain (to them) "safe" locations to go through the molt -- the roughly six week period when the geese cannot fly.

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We are only a couple of weeks into the Canada goose nesting season and already the histrionics are starting, including referring to geese as "thugs" and (get this) "spawns of Satan."  One of the below articles is from the Huffington Post -- normally a credible news source:

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 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/canada-goose-spawn-of-satan-terrorizes-university-of-waterloo-1.3036072

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http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/04/17/canada-goose-students-university-waterloo_n_7087928.html

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One can try to laugh off or rationalize the above pieces as satire and exaggeration, but the tone of both pieces is actually serious. Apparently the geese are more to be feared than rapists, murderers or terrorists put together. In fact, the geese are "terrorists!"

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If it isn't Canada geese being raked over the coals on conventional and social media, the second most popular target these days is the domestic cat. (Yes, those animals we invite into our homes, spend millions of dollars on and assign cutesy names to such as, "Fluffy, Snuggles or Princess.")

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But, in just over a one year period, The New York Times has published at least two negative pieces (one a commentary and the other an article) decrying cats as "evil" relentless killers of birds and other wildlife.  In the latter case, the Times practically blames cats exclusively for the endangered status of one bird species (piping plovers).

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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/22/opinion/sunday/the-evil-of-the-outdoor-cat.html

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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/18/nyregion/a-battle-over-cats-and-birds-on-a-long-island-beach.html?smid=fb-share

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Of course, it isn't just the New York Times demonizing cats nor is such "evil" labeling new. It in fact goes back centuries to when cats were commonly associated with "witches," witchcraft and all things diabolical.

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The only difference is in modern times we like to think we are beyond mere superstition and folk lore.  We are after all, "scientific."

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So instead of accusing cats of causing all manner of harm, "evil spells" or death to humans, we accuse them now of causing death and threat of extinction to other animals. Same thing, but with different dressing.  ("Science" rather than "religious" rationalization.)

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Yes, indeed, we have progressed far from the days of burning "witches and their evil cats" at the stake. Today we call them "crazy cat ladies" and say their "invasive killing machines" should simply be "removed."

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Like cats, coyotes have long been an animal persecuted and relentlessly hated and killed by humans. In fact, one of the primary purposes of USDA Wildlife Services when first formed in 1939 (under the name, "Animal Damage Control") was to eliminate coyotes whenever and wherever possible. But, despite more than a century of trapping, hunting, poisoning, burning and even modern "coyote killing contests," coyotes prevail.  

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Give the "C" animal an A for adaptability.

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And finally, the poor, beleaguered carriage horses.

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But, if these animals are truly "poor and beleaguered," it is more for the way they are depicted by those supposedly caring for their "rights" than for any actual persecution or torture being conducted on them.

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I personally don't view carriage horses as "unwitting weapons" on our streets or "contaminants" of Central Park.

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On the contrary, it seems that the animals who helped to create and build New York City deserve special privilege, place, value and welcome here. Carriage horses bring beauty, romance, magnificence and majesty to our park.

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But, perhaps we should change their name to "taxi horses" as the "c" seems truly unfortunate.

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All I know is that were I to magically discover some new species on this planet, I would fight like hell, for the new animal species not to be given any name beginning with a "C." 

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Call me superstitious or crazy, but it just seems to be a really bad omen for the animals so tagged. -- At least in human perception and attitude.  -- PCA

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