There is a happy rumor that three goslings were spotted somewhere near "Duck Island." I know this because many wildlife enthusiasts have sent me posts, directing me to check out this island, "Duck." After many days, nights and hours combing the park and the lake's every nook and cranny, I came up dry.
Then, amazingly, last Thursday, I stumbled upon a father and his five children, lined up along the southern banks of the lake tending to this one lone gosling family.
Definitely not the same age as the three "" – but equally precious. In the background of this iPhone video clip, you can hear the voice of Ibrahim as he teaches his son about the difference in color between the adult geese and the gosling. It was wonderful to witness the care and attention this father took and the way that he taught – by example – his respect and affection for the birds.
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I learned that Ibrahim's youngest child, a 4-year-old nick-named "Nina," was the survivor of a heart transplant and a stroke.
"She is the true miracle!" he said.
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While feeding the gosling, Nina sprang to her feet and clapped her hands, causing the family to "turn tail" and paddle away. Ibrahim scooped the girl up in his arms, "Gentle, Nina!" he told her, "That is a baby – just like you."
Then he called out to the gosling, "What should we call you? We should name you? Lucky! Lucky, because you survive! They have not killed you!"
Unfortunately, the mayor of our city does not share Ibrahim's sensitivity. Our "Green" Mayor (Green for what, exactly?) has contracted the USDA's Orwellian "Wildlife Services" to kill 80 percent of the area's Canada Geese. This one goose family and the handful of geese remaining in Prospect Park are swimming on death row.
The USDA usually swoops in on the geese at the end of June – just when the birds are molting (meaning that they cannot fly as they shed their old feathers and grow new ones). The city's kill-contract expires on June 30, and the mayor is rumored to be eager to renew.
But – and it's a big but – it ain't over til it's over. Our community was one of the first to rally and object to this massive extermination, holding a peaceful, loving vigil where families joined hands in a symbolic gesture of protection "across the lake." And now there is even a with bird-loving volunteers committed to doing everything they can to prevent another round-up.
And, amazingly, just last week a community up in Buffalo, New York rejected the death sentence for their Canada Geese and were granted a reprieve. The Feds were lock-and-load ready, the contract was in place, but the community rallied to the call of protecting their wildlife.
They made their voices known, so can we.
What can you do?
Call 311. Send an email to Mayor Bloomberg. Call your local representative. Call the Prospect Park Alliance. Call the Central Park Conservancy. Join one of the many wildlife organizations, sign on to the “For the Love of the Geese in Prospect Park” or “Call of the Canada Geese” Facebook page. Contact the at protectourgeese@gmail.com.
Join forces. Now is the time. Before it’s too late.
For information de-bunking the so-called "avian-threat" presented by Canada Geese, please see my prior blog post, ""
Editor's Note: All Park Slope Patch blog posts are expressly the opinions of the bloggers. They do not reflect the general view point of Park Slope Patch.
