Dear Editor,
Re: “Letters: Geese cull in Richmond park may ruffle a few feathers,” Letters, online, June 25.
I agree with Mr. Tarnow about the need to control the geese at the newly renovated Minoru Park.
The renovations are lovely, however the walkways and grass are slippery and slimy with goose feces and it is getting worse.
Besides being disgusting to slip and slide through, I cannot imagine any parent letting their child play in this stuff.
A big concern is that Richmond Hospital is on one side of the park and the Minoru Centre for Active Living is on the other side.
This should be of particular concern for the elderly, children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and those with compromised immune systems who can be particularly susceptible to health risks posed by parasites that inhabit Canada geese feces, specifically cryptosporidium, giardia, coliform and e-coli.
In an article in the February 10, 2021 National Observer, Vernon council had strongly supported the culling of the invasive, non-migratory Canada Goose population.
The article notes that each goose produces approximately 1 kilogram of waste per day which in turn fouls the areas frequented by the public.
There may be several solutions to this problem but one way or another the goose feces have to go.
Kathy Chatten
Richmond
