Geese and Horses -- "Something Tells Me It's All Happening at the Zoo"

Princess and me last month at Boat Lake in Central Park.

Princess and mate, Warrior in December.

Warrior last month. But, where are the two injured geese now?

A carriage horse enjoying human attention last month at Central Park. But, will they still be here in a few years or will we have to look for horses, like geese, at the zoo?

"What is this woman whining about? There are tons of Canada geese at the Jackie Onassis Reservoir in Central Park!"

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The above question has not been posed to me yet. But I imagine it is coming -- or at least, crossed some people's minds.

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And the question would be accurate, as over the past few weeks, there have been easily more than a hundred Canada geese flying in or out of the CP Reservoir at any given moment.

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But, the number is deceptive because these are migratory, not resident geese.

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The geese typically arrive to Central Park and specifically, the Reservoir in late December or early January when watercourses further north freeze over. In search of open water, the geese can usually find at least some, at the Reservoir.

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But as fast as these geese arrive and briefly stay, they also depart. Usually all are gone by mid to late February when temperatures begin to slightly warm and the ice on northern lakes and ponds thaw.

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Throughout the other seasons, the entire of (843 acre) Central Park typically has less than 30 resident geese. (Substantially down from what it was just a few years ago.)

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In the last blog entry, I ended with a disturbing thought:  That within a few years, it is very possible that we will have no carriage horses and no (resident) Canada geese in Central Park at all. Its almost as if one of the most famous parks in the world is slowly being emptied of its resident animals (Not counting the Central Park Zoo, of course).  

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Sometimes, my friend, Liliana and I joke about this.

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"Well, not to fret!  We can always offer carrots to the vintage cars and there is excitement and adventure running across the roads to avoid speeding cyclists, swerving pedicabs or weekly marathons!  As for the geese, they will probably keep a couple at the Central Park Zoo. We'll just need money to see them!"

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Unfortunately, that is what Central Park is becoming most times of the year:  Not a place to peacefully enjoy nature and animals, but rather an adventure in avoidance of speeding vehicles, overwhelming crowds and seemingly endless sporting and other events. -- Picture an outdoor Madison Square Garden, but with cars, bicycles and pedicabs.

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This is precisely why my friend was so "upset" a few days ago when helplessly witnessing Geese Police hurl a large, rock filled canister attached to a long rope on the ice to chase off two Canada geese resting on the otherwise frozen Boat lake.

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Geese Police patrols Central Park throughout the entire year with the exception of the brief period in summer when molting geese are incapable of flight and escape. Fortunately, for geese and other water birds, Geese Police does not harass at the Reservoir probably because it is difficult to get access to for harassment and it is not run by the Central Park Conservancy, but rather the DEC.

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This is evidently another reason why geese, ducks and other water birds seek out the Reservoir for refuge, despite its scant food supplies. It is the only watercourse in Central Park where the birds are not harassed on practically a daily basis and enjoy some measure of peace.

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A couple of weeks ago, Liliana was distressed about another pair of geese who had been enduring at the Boat Lake since the early summer -- Warrior and Princess.

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Warrior was always easily identifiable by what appeared, an old injury to his neck that never entirely healed and rather appeared perpetually irritated. Liliana and I considered trying to rescue Warrior and bring him to the Wild Bird Fund for treatment to the wound.  But we ultimately decided against it, because of fearing the impacts on his mate, Princess. Moreover, as long as Warrior was otherwise "normal," (i.e. flying, eating and staying close to and attentive to his mate), we decided a rescue might do more harm than good. It wasn't even clear that such seemingly old injury could be successfully treated and cured.

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Then about ten days ago, Princess suddenly turned up injured. She had apparently hurt one or even both feet when doing a hard landing on ice. Liliana described her to me as unable to walk.

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The next day, I went to meet Liliana at the Boat Lake, but both Warrior and Princess were sitting out on the edge of the ice near a small pool of open water. They were in the middle of the otherwise frozen lake with no way to get to them.

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We brought the matter up to Park Rangers who did not bother to return the call.

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Then, the following day, both Warrior and Princess were gone and not to be seen since.

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It is not clear if Geese Police finally succeeded in chasing the two injured geese out from the Boat Lake or they were spooked by a human rescue that occurred on the thin ice that particular day.

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I have looked for Warrior and Princess at the Reservoir in Central Park, but it would be hard to spot them among so many of the migratory geese coming and going.

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Also gone are the family of four geese who had been at the Boat Lake since summer. But, was it Geese Police who finally succeeding in banishing them or simply the icy and inhospitable conditions overall?   Perhaps its more likely that it was a combination of all the factors. -- Man, Lady and the two kids apparently decided, "To hell with it. Its not worth it here anymore."

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Presently, there are three domestic ducks and one mallard with wing deformity who are consistently at the Boat Lake and can't go anywhere despite the daily goose harassment. And there are mysteriously, the two geese steadfastly remaining despite drawing the daily ire of Geese Police and the Central Park Conservancy.

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But, the bottom line to all this is that matters are not always as they appear in a particular moment in time.

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Yes, there are many migratory Canada geese at the Jackie Onassis Reservoir right now due to frigid weather conditions and iced over watercourses further north.

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But, observe the goose numbers in Central Park in March, May, August or September and tell me if I whining then.

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Considering the current mayor of New York City has expressed an intense dislike of carriage horses in Central Park and considering the Conservancy's and the city's disdain (or even hatred) for Canada geese, it doesn't require a whole lot of paranoia to imagine a Central Park with few animals and natural wildlife in just a few years.

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But, as my friend and I joke, we can always offer carrots to the vintage cars and (hopefully) see two Canada geese and maybe even horses at the Central Park Zoo.

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Ah, shades and memories of Joni Mitchell (Big Yellow Taxi) and Simon and Garfunkle.

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"Something tells me it's all happening at the zoo."  -- PCA

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