“It looked like the war of 14. It was backfiring everywhere. It was huge. » EELV activist, Nathalie Cadiou, landscape architect and designer of the Parc du Pâtis still can't believe it. This Thursday morning, at 7 a.m., she was surprised by shots fired in the Pâtis park in Meaux.
Following a prefectural decree, a hunt was organized to kill barnacle geese. According to the ecologist, four hunters, including a wolf lieutenant, carried out this operation until 10:30 a.m. They would have killed between “50 and 70” birds, again according to the activist. The problem is that apart from the warning tape unrolled all around the area, no document or sign indicated that a hunt would take place on site. The decree was posted in the town hall. On the other hand, all entrances to the park were cordoned off by public highway surveillance agents, employed by the municipal police, to prevent walkers from coming face to face with hunters.
Meaux, Thursday April 4, 2024. By prefectural order, a hunt was organized to kill barnacle geese considered to be an invasive species. The corpses of some birds remained on site. Local residents were moved by the methods of this slaughter. DR
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Potential pollution of the water of the Marne
For the town hall of Meaux, it is explained that the slaughter of these birds was an absolute necessity. Originally from North America, this species “has been considered an invasive exotic species in France since 2010”, we explain in advance from the town hall. “Meaux is facing an alarming increase in the population of barnacle geese. (…) This proliferation was observed mainly at the Alberto-Corraza stadium and the Tauziet sports complex, where the birds particularly invaded the rugby field in the center of the athletics track. »
The consequences of the presence of these birds, which have no natural predator, are of several types. Their droppings modify the composition of the soil and standardize the plants that then grow there. Excrement, moreover, can cause health problems by promoting the proliferation of bacteria in the water of the Marne, precisely where vacationers swim every summer at Meaux beach. According to the town hall, the presence of geese has even had regrettable effects on sporting events. “Several official football and rugby matches had to be delayed or even canceled due to this situation. »
Seventy geese killed
Nathalie Cadiou, for her part, wants to clarify that she is “neither anti-hunting nor against population control”. She is fully aware that this species must be regulated. “For fifteen years people have been saying that there are too many geese and the town hall does nothing. »
What bothers the one who was a candidate for the 2020 municipal elections and the 2021 departmental elections is the method. “We should study where the geese come from, then scare them away in winter, sterilize their eggs by shaking them and communicate with the population not to feed these birds. »
Contacted, the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne confirms that the order was issued at the request of the town hall of Meaux. “This species is classified as a “species likely to cause damage” (ESOD), formerly “pest species”, at the national level. (…) This hunt was placed under the responsibility of a particularly experienced sector lieutenant (…). » Still according to state services, seventy geese were killed. And eggs were “sterilized”. The hunt should not be renewed.
With its 150 hectares, the Pâtis park is the largest municipal park in Île-de-France. Part of the park is classified as a Natura 2000 zone.