Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

'Goose Whisperer' Saves the Day

Dutchman helps improve human-poultry relations

Posted Jul 21, 2007 12:50 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – The "goose whisperer" is helping humans and geese to coexist peacefully in the Netherlands. Martin Hof has a gift for gabbing with ganders, the AP reports, and he's working with officials to develop gentler approaches to controlling the messy birds in public places, taking into account family groups and moving geese around rather than making them into pate.

Hof can calm geese by communicating in clucks and whistles, using his arm to mimic the motions of a goose's neck. He also promotes public education, encouraging park visitors not to feed the birds, and works with government officials to keep the fertile fowl from overbreeding. "It's all about respect for the geese," he says.

Geese specialist Martin Hof observes geese in a park in Delft, west central Netherlands, Wednesday July 11, 2007. A gaggle of geese runs riot in the Hof van Delft Park. They honk, they hiss, they harass, and they scatter droppings everywhere. Hof has become a minor celebrity here, in part...
Geese specialist Martin Hof observes geese in a park in Delft, west central Netherlands, Wednesday July 11, 2007. A gaggle of geese runs riot in the Hof van Delft Park. They honk, they hiss, they harass,...   (Associated Press)
Martin Hof holds a goose, captured in a residential area on the outskirts of Amsterdam Monday July 16, 2007. Hof has become a minor celebrity here, in part for his ability to communicate with fowl, which some say borders on the magical. They call him The Goose Whisperer. The main...
Martin Hof holds a goose, captured in a residential area on the outskirts of Amsterdam Monday July 16, 2007. Hof has become a minor celebrity here, in part for his ability to communicate with fowl, which...   (Associated Press)
Geese specialist Martin Hof interacts with a goose as he sits down to observe geese in a park in Delft, west central Netherlands, Wednesday July 11, 2007. A gaggle of geese runs riot in the Hof van Delft Park. They honk, they hiss, they harass, and they scatter droppings everywhere....
Geese specialist Martin Hof interacts with a goose as he sits down to observe geese in a park in Delft, west central Netherlands, Wednesday July 11, 2007. A gaggle of geese runs riot in the Hof van Delft...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Related Links

No, Andrew! You are part of the problem!
Something to Say: About Life in the Netherlands

 
Netherlands • Martin Hof • Geese

More Newser Stories

Eurozone Economy Shrinks

Frigid Weather Paving Way for Epic Ice Race

French Breast Implants Sold Under New Name to Dutch

TV Hosts Eat Each Other's Flesh

Thousands of Kids Abused in Dutch Catholic Church
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne