HIGHER LEARNING

Unseasonably warm weather has meant the early arrival of the geese, and another round in the struggle to keep too many from making UTSC their home.

“If there are only a couple on campus it’s not so bad,” says Rob Sarson, grounds supervisor and the person responsible for controlling the geese. “We just don’t want hundreds.”

Although people enjoy seeing the geese, the birds also leave droppings on the sidewalks, creating headaches for pedestrians and maintenance staff alike. And once they’ve nested and laid eggs they become aggressive, attacking anyone who comes too close.

But options are limited. Humane reasons aside, Canadian geese are a protected species and can’t be harmed or even touched without a special permit.

Last year Sarson invested in a laser-pointer-like device that creates a bright red dot when flashed at the feet of the geese. The birds find it disturbing and tend to move away when they see it. This year he bought six plastic hawks that are perched on the roofs of the Student Centre, the Science Wing and ARC.

Although he admits many people get a laugh when they see the geese standing near the hawks, the fake birds aren’t really meant to frighten the geese away completely. They’re merely meant to be a disturbing presence that will discourage the geese from nesting.

Sarson claims some success already. In March there were 14 geese hanging around campus. After a few weeks of harassment, only six – three mating pairs – are still here, which seem to be the six that have called UTSC their home for several years.

“If I can keep it down to six, I can live with that,” Sarson says.

Guess Who?

This staff member’s many interests include writing, Reiki therapy, and a passion for travel.

The most exotic place she has visited is Zanzibar in East Africa. It was 

during the ferry ride back to the Tanzanian mainland from Zanzibar that she had a near-death experience when her boat nearly capsized.

“It was a very harrowing experience; I thought we were all going to drown. But Zanzibar is really a beautiful place to visit,” she says.

It was also in Africa that she met Hollywood star Angelina Jolie. The actress was in Africa to make a large donation of sports equipment to the NGO Right to Play.

“She is beautiful, but very short. We were standing eye to eye and I am only five foot two, so those promos really lie” she says of Jolie.

In addition to travelling, our mystery staff member also likes to write. The displaced Cape Bretoner has kept close ties to her home province by writing a column for the Cape Breton Post about her experiences living in Toronto. Since becoming a new mother she also writes a regular parenting blog.

When not travelling or writing she is also a Reiki Master having graduated from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in 2001.

The first person to respond to the editor with the correct answer will win a $10 Tim Horton's gift card.

The Guess Who in March was Sarah Fedko, information literacy librarian. First in with the guess was Karmini Persaud, senior lecturer, who will win a $10 Tim Horton's gift certificate.