City of York Council is trialling a new piece of equipment that aims to combat geese mess in Rowntree Park.
The use of the equipment was first suggested 4 months ago
This is part of a number of initiatives being put to the test to help develop a suitable long term strategy for the management of geese in the city.
The equipment consists of a trailer which can be attached to a small vehicle. This works by collecting goose faeces by breaking up and sweeping the mess into a large ‘catcher’. It is capable of cleaning an acre of land in 24 minutes.
Cllr Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism said:
“Rather than side stepping the issue we’ve started testing a number of serious options to make our parks and open spaces more pleasant environments.
We know this issue isn’t going to go away overnight and we are looking at long-term solutions, but this equipment could be a good short term solution.”
Residents are still being advised to side step any issues until the machine has cleared a path.
Other trials and initiatives include appropriate fencing to protect flower beds and lawns, discouraging geese by ultrasound audio measures, investigating safe chemicals for geese mess dispersal, and increasing and renewing signage in public parks and open spaces to remind the public not to feed the geese.