York is home to approximately 500 wild geese. Flocks of Greylag and Canada geese can been found in Rowntree Park, along the River Ouse between Scarborough Bridge and Rowntree Park, on the River Foss between Yearsley Bridge and Foss Basin, and at a range of other sites Hull Road Park, Chapman’s Pond, Rawcliffe Lake, the University of York campus and  Wigginton Pond

The presence of the geese create a number of problems. Large amounts of droppings on paved and grass areas make these sites unwelcoming and usable. Vegetation is damaged through grazing. Children and animals may be intimidated. The severity of these depends in part on personal opinion.

For the last ten years we have been attempting to limit the number of geese in the centre of York by an annual programme egg treatment. This is carried out in accordance with the nationally approved practice set by Natural England

Despite these efforts geese numbers and associated issues have remained more or less the same throughout this period. In response we commissioned an independent report on possible ways to manage geese in urban areas - you can download the report from this page.

The management report was considered by the Executive member for Leisure, Culture and Social Exlusion on the 14 September and it was agreed to continue with the egg treatment programme, install new and more prominent signs in key locations asking people not to feed the geese, to trial during 2011 a no lethal deterrent method such as using trained dogs to scare the geese away and to make minor amendments to the landscape in Rowntree park to see if a goose free area can be established. 

This approach will be reviewed again in the autumn 2011. In the meantime If you have any views on options set out on pages 13 and 14 of the report we would like to hear from you. Please send any comments to parks@york.gov.uk.