On The Thread’s model mile, it’s common to see people out walking their dogs. The only more common animal is the flock of geese that either stay distant in the pond or wander on half the trail.

This week, we wrote about how The Friends of the Thread is encouraging people to not feed the geese out at the trail.

The announcement from The Friends has come after the geese attacked a duck and killed another.

Feeding geese habituated them to humans. Habituating them to humans makes them expect all who visit have food for them.

When walkers don’t have food, the geese can become aggressive. 

Bread has been found by the pond of The Thread.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, bread is not healthy nor a staple of a goose diet since it is a sugar for them. They cannot live on bread alone.

When geese start eating bread, they stop feeding on vegetation and greens. This can cause malnutrition and cause them to develop diseases, according to the DNR.

It’s best to leave the geese alone entirely.

As cute as the geese and their goslings can be, it’s important to remember that they are not pets. Wild animals should be left alone for everyone’s best health.

We hope everyone takes to heart that these animals should be appreciated at a distance and not for entertainment.