History

A Sentinel Species

“Geese have been protecting Ballantine's bonded warehouses near Glasgow, Scotland, since 1959. They guard 240 million litres of maturing whiskey, keep the grounds weed-free and the grass clipped”
© Ballantine's

Geese are excellent sentinels, famous for their territoriality, vigilance, and ability to alert humans to threats. The United Nations FAO website says:

“Geese with their exceptional eyesight and wide field of vision, combined with their strident voices, make excellent guards against approaching strangers or predators since outsiders cannot calm them into silence. This was shown in 390 BC, when Rome was attacked by Gallic troops. It was the alertness of the holy geese housed in the temple of the city's fort that allowed the defenders to wake in time to resist the attacking enemy. Today, in the high Andes, Southeast Asia and many other places, geese replace guard dogs. In Europe, they are used to guard whiskey warehouses and sensitive military installations (National Research Council, 1991).”

The White Geese have been sentinels at the MWRA plant and now for Cambridge. The first sign of revived plans for a highway through the city (cancelled in the 1970s following public protest) were public attacks on the geese and their habitat in 1997. (Click here for Transportation plans, “From Inner Belt to Urban Ring.”)