I hit a goose and now my neighborhood is at war

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Can’t believe no one has given this obvious advice ...

... The next time you find yourself in this situation:

HONK!

(It is their natural language after all .. )

And they will do nothing at all. In the 1970s Canadian geese were declining. In Michigan there were around 7,000 but now there are over 300,000. The PP is correct they are an invasive species. They are like coyotes where they are finding it easier to live in suburban areas with ample food sources and no predators. Since humans have not hazed them over the past 50 years, they have lost their fear. They will chase, bite and attack people who get too close. They steal food from other wildlife.

They will not move if honk and if you try to chase them off they will chase you.

This is true. There are as a nesting couple in my parking garage in Rockville. The gander would stand down your car, it took forever to exit. I didn’t have op’s guts to drive by and take the chance of winging him.

You guys are using the word "invasive" incorrectly. There are too many of them, to be sure. But geese and their genetic ancestors have been around here, give or take a few glaciers, since the dinosaurs. So call them annoying, but not invasive.

House sparrows, starlings, and yes, feral housecats, are invasive. This is because they come from Europe (house sparrows and starlings) or the Middle East (housecats).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you run it over or did you nick it? I think if you bumped a goose and kept going it's not a big deal.

If you left a dead goose in the middle of the road and went home, even goose haters (hi!) will have a problem with that. You can't leave dead animals in the street and be a good neighbor.

Huh? Of course you can leave a dead animal in the road. I'm not getting out of my car to drag some wild animal carcass to the curb. Or what, put it in my car and drive it to the dump? You must be kidding.

--someone who has never run anything over

A Canada goose has a 4 ft wingspan. It's not a squirrel. If you hit an animal that big and are not willing to clean it up yourself, you need to call the city to have it cleaned up. That's common sense. OP's language (saying she was tracked down by license plate) makes me think she did neither. I'd be pissed as a neighbor too, and not because the world is running out of geese.

Oh ffs. A deer is even bigger. You don’t move it off the road.

You do call animal control when you hit a deer. Do you people even have driver's ed here?

Drivers ed says that?

When I hit a deer once there was no way it was going to be alive or even something you could get up with anything less than a mop. Why bother calling? Let nature take its course. It’s the more eco-friendly way to go.

I love all these suburban developments with ponds, where the vultures feast on decaying carcasses and leave the bloody bones behind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could actually be charged with animal cruelty. You can't just run an animal over in the road and keep driving. Now if a dog runs out in front of you and you are not at fault thats one thing. But to see a goose crossing and decide you are more importand and just run it over, thats just cruel and you can be charged.

There was an incident in Laurel recently where someone ran over seagulls intentionally, The Police are looking for the suspect.

Agree.

How self-important you are that you couldn't just wait a few minutes and then you justify by saying you "nicked" it, even though you saw you killed it.

You realize the bird could have just flown away, and none of this would happen. If you have the gift of flight, and choose to not use it, you’re the asshole. I’m not waiting for anything that could fly away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could actually be charged with animal cruelty. You can't just run an animal over in the road and keep driving. Now if a dog runs out in front of you and you are not at fault thats one thing. But to see a goose crossing and decide you are more importand and just run it over, thats just cruel and you can be charged.

There was an incident in Laurel recently where someone ran over seagulls intentionally, The Police are looking for the suspect.

Agree.

How self-important you are that you couldn't just wait a few minutes and then you justify by saying you "nicked" it, even though you saw you killed it.

You realize the bird could have just flown away, and none of this would happen. If you have the gift of flight, and choose to not use it, you’re the asshole. I’m not waiting for anything that could fly away.

You have the gift of intelligence but obviously chose not to use it here. What's your punishment?

[Anonymous]

Sue the HOA for damage to your car since they are a known nuisance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could actually be charged with animal cruelty. You can't just run an animal over in the road and keep driving. Now if a dog runs out in front of you and you are not at fault thats one thing. But to see a goose crossing and decide you are more importand and just run it over, thats just cruel and you can be charged.

There was an incident in Laurel recently where someone ran over seagulls intentionally, The Police are looking for the suspect.

Agree.

How self-important you are that you couldn't just wait a few minutes and then you justify by saying you "nicked" it, even though you saw you killed it.

You realize the bird could have just flown away, and none of this would happen. If you have the gift of flight, and choose to not use it, you’re the asshole. I’m not waiting for anything that could fly away.

You realize that if OP's tacky sub-development hadn't gone with a pretentious pond, the geese wouldn't have been there in the first place.

[Anonymous]

They mate your life. There’s a lonely goose out there somewhere tonight.

[Anonymous]

Moi y parents enter have a special permit t to shoot them. And they do.

[Anonymous]

I hit a deer in Fairfax County. It limped away, and I called the nonemergency police number. They asked me if I were oaky, and I told them I was but that the deer was injured. They laughed when I asked if they weren't going to come euthanize it.

[Anonymous]

OP, have you considered anger management classes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hit a deer in Fairfax County. It limped away, and I called the nonemergency police number. They asked me if I were oaky, and I told them I was but that the deer was injured. They laughed when I asked if they weren't going to come euthanize it.

Well trying to find that deer would be like a wild goose chase. The kind of chase which the OP actually found success.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you run it over or did you nick it? I think if you bumped a goose and kept going it's not a big deal.

If you left a dead goose in the middle of the road and went home, even goose haters (hi!) will have a problem with that. You can't leave dead animals in the street and be a good neighbor.

Huh? Of course you can leave a dead animal in the road. I'm not getting out of my car to drag some wild animal carcass to the curb. Or what, put it in my car and drive it to the dump? You must be kidding.

--someone who has never run anything over

+1!! That said, I have called animal control to remove a dead dog and another time a cat from the road. Nobody wants to see that every day until street sweeping day. I suppose a big dead goose rotting in street for school kids to walk by every day would warrant a clean up call too.

But I certainly wouldn't bitch about op on nextdoor for this.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you wear a Canada Goose jacket by any chance?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could actually be charged with animal cruelty. You can't just run an animal over in the road and keep driving. Now if a dog runs out in front of you and you are not at fault thats one thing. But to see a goose crossing and decide you are more importand and just run it over, thats just cruel and you can be charged.

There was an incident in Laurel recently where someone ran over seagulls intentionally, The Police are looking for the suspect.

Agree.

How self-important you are that you couldn't just wait a few minutes and then you justify by saying you "nicked" it, even though you saw you killed it.

You realize the bird could have just flown away, and none of this would happen. If you have the gift of flight, and choose to not use it, you’re the asshole. I’m not waiting for anything that could fly away.

We have a deal! -George Costanza

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you run it over or did you nick it? I think if you bumped a goose and kept going it's not a big deal.

If you left a dead goose in the middle of the road and went home, even goose haters (hi!) will have a problem with that. You can't leave dead animals in the street and be a good neighbor.

Huh? Of course you can leave a dead animal in the road. I'm not getting out of my car to drag some wild animal carcass to the curb. Or what, put it in my car and drive it to the dump? You must be kidding.

--someone who has never run anything over

+1!! That said, I have called animal control to remove a dead dog and another time a cat from the road. Nobody wants to see that every day until street sweeping day. I suppose a big dead goose rotting in street for school kids to walk by every day would warrant a clean up call too.

But I certainly wouldn't bitch about op on nextdoor for this.

It's not clear the goose was dead, especially if OP says she only "nicked" it. She may have left it to suffer. Animal control could have taken it to a shelter for treatment or put it out of its misery. That's the issue here.