feeding and fear of cars

[nathanielfirst]

OK so I feed some canada geese near to where i park, on the grass, at work, oats. Every day when I get to work. I know that most geese are already used to cars and therefore not afraid of them, which gets them hurt when angry drivers hit them for not getting out of the way. These particular geese are now peering through the windows at me when I get in and leave work (funny) -- I can see a bunch of stuck up heads looking intently in at me. They are a bit too close to my car - still on the grass (I park near an island with a tree and grass and my bumper touches grass over the curb where I park) - but close. I will never hit them, but I wonder if I am increasing the danger for them. That's my question - If they are getting close to my car when I am in it, like this, does this mean I am training them to not care about a car's danger?

I never throw food from the car, but I go to my car to get oats, and they have figured that out by now. I usually feed them on lunch and break also, I walk away from my car. I have even taken to getting some distance away from my car, using the fob to sound the alarm, and yelling a goose sounding distress call at them, maybe they will observe me and become more afraid.

Most of the geese where I work already do not care about cars - they cross in front of them and only hurry a little bit in the lot when someone drives up on them. No one will hit them in the parking lot, but they also go onto the roads nearby where people care less.

These geese have never gotten behind my car when I am backing out or appraoched it when it is moving. But all geese are careless about crossing the road and I wonder if I am systematically training them to be more relaxed around a car, by feeding them. Like I say, they at this point know I keep oats somewhere in my car, but they are still afraid of other people than me in the lot....

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Technically- here in Fl, feeding wildlife is illegal. I assume that is one of the reasons. Wildlife takes on the no fear of man thing. Gators-bears-coyotes-water fowl all start depending on human food instead of survival of the fittest. And of course the no fear of man kind thingy.

 

[PirateGirl]

Here feeding wildlife is illegal. One of many reasons is for their safety around people and vehicles as you have mentioned. It's healthy for wildlife to be afraid. Afraid of people, afraid of dogs, afraid of cars, afraid to go in a dumpster, etc. If wildlife keep their distance it keeps them safe.

 

[PirateGirl]

Also it teaches wildlife to view humans (and vehicles) as a food source, sometimes animals become aggressive and bold towards people as a result, it also poses a hazard to motorists.

 

[nathanielfirst]

Here feeding wildlife is illegal. One of many reasons is for their safety around people and vehicles as you have mentioned. It's healthy for wildlife to be afraid. Afraid of people, afraid of dogs, afraid of cars, afraid to go in a dumpster, etc. If wildlife keep their distance it keeps them safe.

these pretty well already cross in front of cars before I came along. I just wonder if they can tell the difference between a car and a person. They seem to think cars are cows, and therefore not a threat, whereas a strange person walking up on them here makes them scatter. Me they know by sight, but I had to feed them to get that... If me feeding them isn't associated with a car in their minds, they are not going to get hit any more than they were, but if they think humans inside of a car have food...

 

[PirateGirl]

I believe that hand feeding wildlife can condition them to trust people, and you admit that the geese are less afraid of you than others, which supports this theory. I do not believe this is in the best interest of wildlife to be trusting of humans and/or vehicles. I do not condone this behavior.