By Alex O'Hara
A gang is to be removed from the streets of South Auckland after complaints over its behaviour.
They have been stopping traffic and defecating in the street of Wattle Downs. Now the Auckland Council has finalised plans to move them for good.
The gang is a gaggle of 70 geese on a mission for food.
“This is the first time the population has grown so immensely in the last year or so,” says Sue Matete of the Wattle Downs Residents Association. “The problem is that they've run out of food and that has caused a few other issues with the geese as well.”
Other problems are the health and safety issues caused by their droppings, as well as their dangerous trips across the road.
The geese cross the road up to three times a day as they travel between Wattle Farm and the wetlands reserve. This often causes traffic to back up, with some motorists having to wait up to 20 minutes to let them cross.
But it is not just residents suffering. Many geese have developed deformities after eating too much white bread.
“It's called ‘angel wings’ and it's one of the things that happen to their wings,” says Ms Matete. “They just mature too quickly because they are overfed.”
The Auckland Council has decided to move the geese to a farm south of Auckland.
But some residents aren't happy.
“The residents around here have gotten used to it now, so I don’t' see why they need to be moved,” says resident Andrea Motion.
“It's not very fair,” says resident Samantha Waterworth. “I mean, this is a duck pond. What are we going to do with no ducks?”
But the Council says if nothing is done, the numbers in the gang will only increase, causing even more problems on the streets of South Auckland.
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