It’s Like Herding Geese

The Staten Island Parks Department turns to a band of border collies to get its goose problem under control:

When five border collies surrounded Clove Lakes yesterday morning, glaring at about 200 Canada geese, the black-billed birds began flocking together to protect against the potential threat.

Together, the geese began swimming from their gathering spot near Victory Boulevard toward The Lake Club.

But once they neared the end of the lake, one of the dogs jumped into the frigid water and the entire flock took off and scattered, honking loudly as if to warn other birds about the pending peril.

“It’s incredible,” marveled Borough Parks Commissioner Thomas Paulo. “I’m pretty confident it’s going to work. For the public’s sake, this has to be done.”

Hiring the Howell, N.J.-based Geese Police is a “last resort” for Paulo, who in the last three years has tried using fake owls, metal streamers, garlic repellent and solar-paneled flashing lights to rid the park of Canada geese, which foul ballfields and pedestrian walkways. Each goose leaves behind between one and two pounds of droppings every day.