Does it seem like more bad news about Avian Flu hits the headlines and airwaves every day? How do you sort through all the information to know how much you should really worry, and what you can do to protect your family? Should you give up your pet parrot? Or shoo away the colony of Canada Geese visiting your back yard?
The good news is Avian Flu has not yet been found in the North American bird population. Human deaths from the virus, currently in the hundreds, have been limited to Asian countries so far, according to the World Health Organization. But the WHO, the unchallenged authority on Bird Flu, also considers waterfowl to be significant bearers of the disease. Whenever possible, it’s best to avoid contact with wild waterfowl and their droppings, the WHO advises.
That means that while it’s probably safe to keep your parrot, it’s also best to keep wild waterfowl, like Canada Geese, away from close human contact. In May, the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Wildlife Health Center began testing samples from a variety of waterfowl found in Alaska, including Canada Geese. Migratory waterfowl could be a source of an Avian Flu outbreak, health experts agree.
While the current risk of Canada Geese carrying Bird Flu appears low, other health concerns can be associated with the geese and their droppings. The birds can strip lawns, parks and other grassy areas, leaving behind 1 to 2 pounds of droppings per goose. The droppings can be a slip hazard, contain parasites and cause gastrointestinal illnesses in humans. Large populations of Canada Geese can cause bacteria levels to climb to unsafe levels in water used for swimming and drinking. And the geese can be a traffic safety risk at airports and as they walk along busy roads during the “molt” or flightless season in June and July.
With increasing concern over Bird Flu, demand has also risen for effective, humane ways to remove Canada Geese from areas of close human contact. Property managers try everything from trained goose herding dogs to pyrotechnics and lasers, but most of these non-lethal methods have lacked enduring effectiveness because geese eventually become accustomed to the techniques – and ultimately learn to work around them or ignore them, and lethal control is both unpopular and merely opens up a void for other geese to take over an area.
Treating the grassy areas where the geese live and feed with a compound that causes a mild, temporary digestive reaction, like FlightControl PLUS, has proved to be one of the most effective means of discouraging Canada Geese.
The compound is sprayed on the turf where geese feed and temporarily irritates their unique digestive systems. It is virtually invisible to humans but the geese can see it on the grass in the UV-light spectrum, making the irritating grass look “funny.” The geese learn to recognize treated turf and avoid feeding on it.
Those who want the geese to go elsewhere treat all the turf of a property where geese are feeding, but some choose to concentrate on smaller areas where actual goose-human conflict is a concern, effectively “herding” geese to other areas.
“Molting season, when the birds lose and regrow their flight feathers, begins in late June and continues into early August. Birds are unable to fly during molt and geese will congregate in large numbers often near residential water bodies,” explains Emily Perry, product manager with SePRO, marketer of FlightControl PLUS.
“The geese – and their droppings – can linger well into the fall, making it especially important to discourage them from areas where they will come into close human contact,” Perry adds.
For more facts on the Avian Flu, visit the World Health Organization’s Web site at www.who.int. To learn more about the goose repellent, visit www.flightcontrol.com - ARA |
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