Peace for the geese

Andrew Edwards

Costa Mesa is too dangerous for Mr. and Mrs. Peepers.

The two geese formerly lived in TeWinkle Park but were moved to

the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach when the

park’s lake was drained for renovations. The animals will not return

to Costa Mesa, humans said.

Mr. Peepers, Mrs. Peepers and eight other geese that used to honk

and waddle their way through TeWinkle Park are domesticated birds

that were abandoned, said Debbie McGuire of the wildlife center. The

animals trust people and are not able to defend themselves against

cruel and unusual attacks.

“It’s just not a good thing for any bird like that to be at the

park, any park,” McGuire said.

In 1997, 10 ducks, a heron and a goose were shot dead with pellet

guns at the park. Two more geese and three ducks were killed in a

2000 pellet-gun attack.

The birds will be moving to Farm Sanctuary, a 300-acre shelter for

rescued farm animals near Orland, in northern California.

“I think they’re much better off than living in a park with all

the kids chasing them and throwing stones at them,” said Marlyse

Jaycox, who spent $2,000 for the gaggle’s care at the wildlife

center.

“They’re precious,” Jaycox said. “We don’t have much left on this

Earth except cars and houses and people. We need a little bit of

life.”

About 480 animals live at the northern California shelter, Farm

Sanctuary placement coordinator Kate Walker said. Farm Sanctuary,

which promotes a vegan lifestyle, also operates a shelter in New York

state and primarily takes in animals that have been neglected at

farms and stockyards.

Jaycox, a former Costa Mesa resident who now lives in Orange Park

Acres, said she has fed TeWinkle’s geese since 1997. Costa Mesa resident Michelle Berger said she has fed the birds since 1987 and

planned to help pack the gaggle into a van and take the geese to

their new home.

“I’m going to miss them greatly. I know other people will,” Berger

said. “At least I know that they are safe and they are going to have

a barn to sleep in at night.”

Renovations at TeWinkle park have been delayed because of recent

rains, Costa Mesa city engineer Ernesto Munoz said. The lakes were

expected to be restored in June, but city staffers now expect that

job to be done in July. The skate park construction there is expected

to be ready in May or June.

Berger did not have to clear any bureaucratic hurdles in her plans

to relocate the geese, since the city did not own the animals, Costa

Mesa City Manager Allan Roeder said.

Roeder said he doubted the departure of the geese would mean

waterfowl would not return to TeWinkle Park, though city officials

and the geese’s caretakers discourage people from dumping unwanted

pets at parks.

“It’s certainly not something we at all advocate, but it’s not

something we can patrol 24 hours a day,” Roeder said.