MENTOR, Ohio — Mentor City Council has declared the Canada goose, also known as Canadian goose, as a "nuisance health risk animal." Effective immediately, it is against the law for anyone to feed the animal in the city.
The ordinance, which passed by a unanimous vote at Tuesday's council meeting, adds Canadian geese to the list of "nuisance animals." According to Mentor law, harboring or feeding nuisance animals is a fourth-degree misdemeanor.
"I think anybody in Northeast Ohio knows that geese can be a bit of a nuisance," Ante Logarusic, spokesperson for the city of Mentor, told 3News Wednesday.
Canada geese are a federally and state protected migratory species that can be found in significant numbers in the city of Mentor, as well as throughout Northeast Ohio. That protection extends to the geese, goslings, nests, and eggs.
According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, geese that are fed will lose their fear of humans and attack adults, children and pets during the nesting season (March through June). The ODNR says feeding bread, corn, potato chips, popcorn, and other human food items will harm the geese and set the scene for goose attacks on people.
But there's a greater health risk from the mess the geese leave behind.
Experts say the average Canada goose can produce from one to one-and-a-half pounds of feces per day with movements as frequent as every 20 minutes. That feces can carry bacteria which includes Escherichia coli (E Coli), Listeria moncytogenes, Salmonella, and Campylobacter jejuni, which can contaminate ponds and puddles, while damaging surrounding yards and other vegetation.
In Mentor, Logarusic says Garfield Park is a hotbed for the birds, and signs there warn of the consequences. Those who break the new law could now face up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine, but its unknown just how often those penalties could be applied.
"The police department doesn't want to enforce this," Logarusic admitted. "I think the best thing for everybody would be just let nature take its course. Don't feed the geese, don't feed the ducks, don't feed the squirrels, the skunks, the deer — let them kind of fend for themselves."
So when you see a Canada goose in Mentor, leave your bread in the bag.