Latest news with #wildlifeManagement
Malay Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Singapore's National Parks Board hangs fake crows to spook the real ones after dive-bombing attacks
SINGAPORE, May 31 — In trees across Singapore, plastic crows are playing dead — and it's all part of a bold new strategy to outsmart some of the smartest birds around. According to The Straits Times, these lifeless-looking decoys, strung upside down from branches, are part of a National Parks Board (NParks) trial aimed at shooing off house crows, a highly intelligent and invasive species known for their noisy gatherings and the occasional aerial ambush on unsuspecting pedestrians. 'The effigies are placed at roost sites and positioned to resemble dead crows,' How Choon Beng, NParks' group director of wildlife management, reportedly said. 'The aim is to create a perception of danger and encourage the roosting crows to disperse to other locations.' It might sound like a scene from a Hitchcock film, but it's rooted in science. Studies from the United States have shown that crows, unnerved by the sight of one of their own hanging lifeless, tend to scatter — sometimes for good. Back in 2005, researchers from the US Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services tried the same trick in Pennsylvania, where up to 40,000 crows once roosted. By suspending crow effigies from tree branches, they managed to break up the massive gatherings over two winters. The tactic worked well — at least for a while. In Singapore, NParks has deployed 15 plastic crows at eight known trouble spots since late 2023. The effigies typically hang around for about two weeks at a time. One was spotted in April outside Katong V mall, complete with a sign that reassured passers-by: 'This is a plastic crow. Please do not be alarmed.' It's a response to growing public frustration. NParks received nearly 7,000 crow-related complaints annually in 2023 and 2024, with gripes ranging from screeching wake-up calls to full-on bird attacks. One of the most notorious incidents occurred in Bishan in early 2023, when at least 10 people were harassed by dive-bombing crows in under 20 minutes. Crow aggression typically spikes during fledgling season between May and June, when adult birds become fiercely protective of their young. It's also when the calls for intervention grow louder. Effigies are NParks' latest addition to a broader, science-based game plan. Other measures include nest removal, food source management, habitat tweaks, and, in some cases, trapping.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Windsor resorts to removing geese eggs for population control
The City of Windsor has obtained a federal permit to remove 150 Canada goose eggs — part of an effort to control the local population of the large and persistent bird. But anti-goose expert Dan Frankian says the city will need to be militant about the plan. CBC's Chris Ensing reports.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Kosciuszko wild horse numbers less than 6,000 triggering reproductive strategy
The NSW Environment Minister says she will turn to focus on managing current populations of feral horses in the Snowy Mountains after "large efforts" to reduce numbers in the past 18 months. The 2024 Kosciuszko National Park wild horse population survey, released publicly on Wednesday morning, has estimated between 1,766 and 5,717 horses are left in the park. The figures are "really reduced" compared to a 2023 survey estimate that around 17,000 horses remained in the park. The state government is legally required to reduce the number to 3,000 by mid-2027 to preserve the environment of Kosciuszko National Park (KNP). "We were hopeful that it would go well," Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said. "We've obviously reduced the number of horses in the park by a large number. The peer-reviewed survey, the fourth of its kind since 2020, this time tested multiple survey methods across four priority KNP management areas. "There's been a lot of interest in the way in which we count the horses and there's been a lot of conjecture about that," Ms Sharpe said. "For us [it's] about constantly refining and improving the way in which we can get as accurate a count as we can. "But also trying to compare year on year so that we're looking at the same method over a period of time." Its usual "standard distance sampling" method, which captures horse activity from two aerial observers attached to an aircraft, estimated from 1,766 to 4,050 horses remained in the park's retention zones. This time around another method called the "mark recapture distance sampling method" was also trialled. It added a third aerial observer at the front of the aircraft and estimated that the population in the same areas to lie between 2,373 and 5,717. A thermal imaging survey was also conducted but is still undergoing an extensive peer-review process. Ms Sharpe admitted it was difficult to get a single number best estimate of the population and hoped the range could be narrowed in coming years. "Trying to get an accurate number, particularly in the kind of terrain that is Kosciuszko National Park, is really challenging," she said. "I think we will always have a range and we'll keep going with that as we improve survey methods, particularly as the horses are mostly in the retention areas rather than spread out across the park." More than 9,000 horses were removed from the park between 2021 and April 30, 2025, with two-thirds of those killed by aerial shooting, a method adopted in October 2023. "But the large efforts … of the last 12 to 18 months is not going to be needed anymore because the numbers have come down." Aerial shooting is currently on pause and environment minister did not confirm when the method would recommence. She said the state government would now focus on stabilising the population that included looking into a reproductive control trial. "National Parks [and Wildlife Service] is beginning to be able to look at this, about how we would trial this and really start to test it," she said. "We're not there yet, but the preparatory work is being done on that and I'm pleased."
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Michigan DNR pauses pilot program to lethally gas nuisance Canada geese
Michigan DNR rolls out new guidelines to kill nuisance Canada geese instead of moving them Michigan DNR rolls out new guidelines to kill nuisance Canada geese instead of moving them Michigan DNR rolls out new guidelines to kill nuisance Canada geese instead of moving them The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is pausing its pilot program to lethally gas nuisance Canada geese after receiving pushback from state lawmakers and animal rights groups. M. Scott Bowen, director of Michigan's DNR, confirmed his department's plans to pause the program in a letter sent to state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) on May 9. "After further consideration and consultation with our Wildlife staff, we have decided to pause the program for this year and will not be issuing any permits or conducting this work on any sites, including Belle Isle Park," wrote Bowen. "We will continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and human safety concerns for areas with overabundant Canada Goose populations." Polehanki and other lawmakers penned a letter to the state's Natural Resources Commission and the DNR on April 22, urging the groups to pause lethal gas control in 2025. "Canada geese serve an important ecological role in our state; they disperse seeds, fertilize soil, and act as prey for a wide range of native predators. Reducing their populations through mass culling not only disrupts that balance but sets a dangerous precedent," wrote Polehanki in the letter. State lawmakers have said as many as 10,000 Canada geese and goslings could be rounded up from their natural habitat "during the summer molt (June and July) when they are flightless." The pilot program was initially approved by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission on Oct. 10, 2024, and allows for landowners to apply for a permit to have geese on their property rounded up and humanely euthanized, but only after applicants have exhausted a variety of control methods, like nest and egg destruction, according to the DNR. Animal welfare groups have welcomed the DNR's decision to pause its program for 2025. "This is a hard-won victory for both geese and the compassionate Michiganders who spoke out for them," said Katie Nolan, Wild Animals Campaigner for In Defense of Animals, in a statement. "Pausing this program sets an important precedent by showing that there's a better way to handle conflicts with wild animals. Michigan's decision has the chance to inspire more humane, thoughtful approaches across the country, not just for geese but for all wild animals." While the program is on hold for now, Bowen said the DNR will encourage and prioritize non-lethal ways for homeowners to handle nuisance Canada geese. "We will continue to encourage and prioritize non-lethal techniques for landowners, including habitat modification, elimination of feeding, scare tactics, repellents, and nest/egg destruction," he said. "It is important for the health and safety of our citizens and the management of our natural resources that we continue to use the goose management tools at our disposal."
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan DNR halts program to euthanize Canada geese
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan lawmakers recently passed a controversial proposal to lethally gas Canada geese. However, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says it's now changing course. The pilot proposal passed by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission last October allowed for the roundup and lethal gassing of Canada geese during summer months when they're flightless, as a way to reduce overpopulation and conflict. Under the program, landowners are able to seek a permit to have geese on their property captured and humanely euthanized, but only after they have attempted a number of control methods, including nest and egg destruction, according to the state department. Michigan lawmakers expressed concerns about the program in a letter penned to the Natural Resources Commission in late April, prompting a response from Michigan DNR director M. Scott response comes a week before the May 16 deadline to apply for permits for the program. 'The department planned to continue to research alternative options for managing human-goose conflicts and health and safety concerns for areas with overabundant Canada goose populations. We will also continue to encourage non-lethal techniques for landowners to deal with problem geese, including eliminating feeding, using scare tactics and destroying nests' Michigan DNR director M. Scott Bowen's letter says in part The DNR says on its website that it encourages tolerance and coexistence with Canada geese, stating that there are numerous non-lethal techniques available, and that capture and euthanasia should only be considered as a last resort. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
