Five geese have recently appeared at Atascadero Lake, causing locals to question where the geese came from.
The gaggle of geese - 1 white and 4 gray - can be seen swimming along Atascadero Lake. The unique-looking flock are said to be new additions to the lake with unknown roots.
A community member who studies birds believes they are domestic and not native to this community.
Michael Guarino makes a daily trip to the lake with his daughter and said he’s noticed them over the past week or two.
“I have certainly seen the geese around here. I think it’s been two weeks, maybe less than two weeks, that I’ve seen them,” Guarino said.
Among the 20 others KSBY spoke with at the lake Tuesday, some people said they had seen the geese around but weren’t sure where they had come from. Others simply had no idea the geese were there.
“I don’t know anything about it,” commented one Atascadero resident.
Another voiced a theory as to how the geese arrived.
“I think maybe somebody just dumped them in the water. Nobody really knows. I’ve seen things like that before and it’s really unfortunate. So hopefully that’s not the case,” they said.
A spokesperson with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tells KSBY they were informed of the geese at the lake but said that there are no state law prohibiting people from abandoning geese at public parks or lakes.
However, Atascadero’s City ordinance does prohibit such behavior.
According to Article 4 of Atascadero’s city ordinance, abandoning waterfowl - including geese - at Atascadero Lake is considered unlawful.
Abandonment of waterfowl at Atascadero Lake.
"It is unlawful for any owner or person having possession or control of any waterfowl, including but not limited to ducks, geese, swans, poultry, or household pets to place, abandon, or release such waterfowl, or cause to permit such waterfowl to be placed, abandoned, or released, or to knowingly allow or permit such waterfowl to remain in or upon the waters of Atascadero Lake, or upon any public land adjacent thereto. Any person who violates this section is guilty of an infraction."
(Ord. 182 § 1, 1988)
Krysten Kellum, public information officer for California Department of Fish and Wildlife District 4, added that feeding these geese can hurt them.
“Handouts by well-meaning people can result in wildlife losing their natural fear of humans. Animals that feed on human sources of food may lose their ability to forage naturally. Potential negative results in wildlife include increased aggression toward humans, unnatural increases in population and increased death rates from the spread of diseases,” Kellum said.
