~~ How YOU Can Help Waterfowl ~~

Ducks and geese are sentient beings. They choose where to live, select their mates, care for their young, have likes and dislikes, and experience pain and pleasure. Even my finch--with a brain smaller than a pea--is aware of her surroundings and able to solve simple problems.

It's time to stop pretending that animals are mindless robots, or "automata," as Descartes called them. (He based his claims on religious thought and political ideology, not scientific data and facts. He would kick his dog "to hear the springs" breaking.) YOU can help ducks and geese by educating yourself. Changes in YOUR lifestyle can literally save the lives of these beautiful birds.

Educate Yourself

Read books and field guides about birds. Find out how long they can live, what they eat, and how they spend their days. Observe ducks and geese in the wild. How do they interact with each other? What do they eat? You can learn more about geese at these websites:

Canada Goose Information
http://www.cgcs.demon.co.uk/

Canada Goose Life Cycle
http://www.icu.com/geese/doc2.html

Stop Sleeping on Waterfowl

Many companies still stuff pillows and comforters with waterfowl feathers. Feathers also wind up as insulation in jackets. Synthetic alternatives exist and are typically less expensive and less likely to cause allergic reactions. Feathers are plucked from *live* ducks and geese several times over the course of a few weeks before they are slaughtered.

UPC Live Pluck Information
http://www.upc-online.org/livepluc.html

Get the Flock off Your Plate

Factory Farms are now raising ducks in the same way as "broiler" chickens. Sometimes the tips of the ducks' beaks are cut off (without anesthetic!) to discourage cannibalism caused by overcrowding. The ducks are forced to live in large warehouses without access to swimming water. They are slaughtered like chickens at only 7 weeks old. (A duck's lifespan is about 15 years.)

Ducks Out of Water Campaign (Viva!)
http://www.vivausa.org/Campaigns/Ducks/ducks.htm

Pass on Foie Gras

To make foie gras ("fatty liver" a.k.a. pate), workers use tubes to force-feed geese. The tubes are inserted down their throats, often causing rips or tears--which result in death. Their livers grow to ten times the normal size before they are slaughtered.

How Foie Gras is Made
http://www.all-creatures.org/sof/plate-foiegras.html

Making Foie Gras
http://www.ciwf.co.uk/Camp/Main/Foie/foie_gras_campaign.htm

Shoot With a Camera

Think before you hunt. Do you really want to take someone's life or kill someone's mate? You can save a bird's life by capturing him on film instead. Who knows...maybe YOUR photo will win a contest or appear on a calendar!

Think Like the Animal: Questions to Ask Before You Kill (scroll down)
http://fund.org/learning/teens.asp

Drive Carefully

Sometimes wild animals, companion animals, or children wander onto the road and are struck by oncoming vehicles. When you drive, put safety first and focus on driving. You can eat, put on makeup, or make cell phone calls in a parking lot.

Think Before You Act

What would you do if you found a duckling in your yard? Check out this Q&A site for information about ducks in residential areas.

Urban Duck Q&A
http://fund.org/library/documentViewer.asp?ID=260&table=documents

Keep the Earth Clean

Put trash in garbage cans, and recycle plastics, metals, and papers. Last year, we found a goose with plastic mesh hanging out of its mouth. If he had swallowed the plastic, it could have been trapped in his digestive system. When animals are hungry, they will try to eat almost anything.

Support Non-lethal Methods of Waterfowl Control

As the human population continues to grow and expand, wildlife habitat areas are disappearing. Humans take the homes and nesting areas of wild animals, remove natural predators, then complain that the remaining animals are a "nuisance." Although many agencies resort to violent or lethal methods to reduce waterfowl populations, non-lethal methods do exist. Some agencies also distort information to spread rumors and suit their needs.

Non-lethal Humane Control Methods
http://www.icu.com/geese/nlcontrol.html

Geese and Public Health
http://www.icu.com/geese/scam.html

Leave Hatching to Mother Nature

Schools sometimes use chicken, duck, or quail eggs to teach children about animal development and the miracle of life. Unfortunately, many of these birds die or are damaged due to improper incubation. Surviving birds are difficult to place. Alternative methods such as models, charts, or computer programs can spare the lives of many birds.

Alternatives to School Hatching Projects
http://www.upc-online.org/school_hatching.html

Links on the Pond

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