Two years ago, Echo Park Lake in Los Angeles faced conflict when it was overrun by a homeless encampment, attracting much attention and debate. However, if you thought the tensions would subside when the park was cleared of tents and a fence was erected around the site, you'd be sorely mistaken. According to KTLA, these days, the park is now plagued by another issue: Canada geese.
Echo Park Lake has become somewhat of a battleground as park visitors contend with aggressive, loud, and seemingly fearless Canada geese. As seen in a video shared by Micaela Mielniczenko on X, hordes of geese can be observed approaching parkgoers and squawking loudly – an inconvenience which seems only to compound the daily issue of their relentless fecal production that piles up to 1 kilogram of waste per goose, per The Eastsider.
The geese situation at echo park lake is out of control!!!! pic.twitter.com/hJT7W66K5e
— Micaela Mielniczenko (@heyyyella) June 16, 2023
That's not the worst of it – these geese, who on average are 3 feet in length from beak to tail, have been wandering into surrounding streets, causing parkgoers to worry that the birds will end up as roadkill. Furthermore, the geese have been seen charging at small dogs and scaring children, as well as driving out other, smaller waterfowl.
Despite these complaints, Jon Fisher of the Los Angeles Audubon Society offered an explanation for the geese's behavior in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. He stated that while the majority of Canada geese are migratory, flying south in the winter and north in the spring, those who find safety, food, and nesting options available year-round might prefer to stay in one location. This can quickly lead to them becoming overweight and unafraid of humans and their pets.
For Laila Molina, field deputy for L.A. City Council District 13, the geese have increasingly become the center of her attention as she fields emails from the public, many of which lament the geese's nuisance at the park, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
In light of the issue, Councilman Hugo Soto-Martinez, who in the past had campaigned on removing the contentious fence at Echo Park Lake, seemed to take the geese situation with a sense of humor. In a statement noted by the Los Angeles Times, Soto-Martinez quipped, "But luckily, the only geese I have to deal with now are alive."
