Dear Editor:
On Sunday afternoon, I regrettably lost my temper at two little girls who had separated a baby goose from its gaggle and chased it in circles like wild animals.
The adult geese panicked and onlookers sat quiet, unsure of what to say or do. Before I knew it, I was on my feet bounding to these two little girls, screaming at the top of my lungs for them to get away from the geese. I then stood in front of them and reamed them for their actions.
I returned to my towel in the sand, shaken and seeing red. The mother then angrily confronted me, talking down to me as though I were one of her children. “What right do you have talking to my children that way?” she asked rhetorically. I got about a word in edgewise when I realized how useless arguing with this woman would be.
And anyway, if I were her and just saw a stranger berate my kids in front of everyone, I’d be livid about it too.
So I apologized. To her, and the children. I told them my behavior was unacceptable, and I just wanted to protect the geese.
And I was sorry. My temper ran wild and yelling is no way to communicate to a child.
But I’m not sorry for saying something. The beach at Barnet Marine Park was full of families with their children. I’m 23 years old, one of the youngest people at that beach bar the children, and I was the only one who stood up for what was right. This is just one of several events I witness when I go to this particular park.
There are at least two or more incidents of kids (and adults) harassing the wildlife every time I go. Kids throw rocks and sand at the geese, chase them, drive them into the water, feed them chips, and parade starfish around like little beach trophies. Where’s the parenting here? Where’s the basic need for compassion for these animals? Where is Burnaby Parks and Rec in all of this? There has to be a way to monitor the treatment of wildlife in these areas, even if it’s just a few signs that tell people not to bother the geese.
It ruins my (and many other people’s) beach experience to watch a total disregard for nature happen while we try to relax. A child’s entertainment shouldn’t come at the expense of an animal’s panic and suffering.
Brandy Byhoffer, Burnaby
