Why are there so many geese in Chicago?
You’re not imagining it — the goose population in Chicago has been growing. Here’s what’s being done about it.
We’ve all been there: you’re getting your daily steps in, walking around your local park, enjoying the fresh air — when you spot a gaggle of geese giving you the stink eye. One heads your way. Is it going to attack me? It honks a threatening honk. You retreat to the sidewalk, only to realize your shoe is covered in… goose excrement. Your feathered foes had the last laugh.
Gaggles of geese getting their way is an experience Victoria Long became all too familiar with. So in 2020, she asked Curious City, “Is there any plan to manage the number of geese in Chicago?” It’s a number that has been growing for decades, not only in Chicago, but in cities across the Midwest. And that increase is not without consequence.
So what makes Chicago prime real estate for geese? What problems do geese actually pose to the city? And what’s being done to soften their impact? This week, we’re revisiting an episode from 2020 in which reporter Monica Eng pays Victoria a visit to begin her goose investigation.
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Why are there so many geese in Chicago?
You’re not imagining it — the goose population in Chicago has been growing. Here’s what’s being done about it.
We’ve all been there: you’re getting your daily steps in, walking around your local park, enjoying the fresh air — when you spot a gaggle of geese giving you the stink eye. One heads your way. Is it going to attack me? It honks a threatening honk. You retreat to the sidewalk, only to realize your shoe is covered in… goose excrement. Your feathered foes had the last laugh.
Gaggles of geese getting their way is an experience Victoria Long became all too familiar with. So in 2020, she asked Curious City, “Is there any plan to manage the number of geese in Chicago?” It’s a number that has been growing for decades, not only in Chicago, but in cities across the Midwest. And that increase is not without consequence.
So what makes Chicago prime real estate for geese? What problems do geese actually pose to the city? And what’s being done to soften their impact? This week, we’re revisiting an episode from 2020 in which reporter Monica Eng pays Victoria a visit to begin her goose investigation.