I read your views on the Canada geese and found them both uninformed and offensive. You accuse all activists of wearing leather and having a double set of standards. I am an activist. I do not wear leather, fur, silk or wool. I am also a vegetarian and purchase only animal-friendly products.

You state that the Canada geese are a nuisance near lakes. What is a lake without geese and ducks? That is where they belong. As for athletic fields, perhaps if this were not the only open space available, the geese would not have to utilize them. I think your frustration would be better targeted at overdevelopment, and your concerns toward preserving open space.

You also list concern that their feces may be a health hazard. I will assume you are not a vegetarian. You are more likely to contract a disease from handling raw meat or by eating a fast-food burger than you are if you rolled around in geese feces.

People need to remember we are not the only creatures on the earth and must learn to share it. It is selfish and inhuman to kill off every creature that takes some effort and patience to coexist with. After all, think how much of an inconvenience humans must be to animals in general.

I would like to suggest you read The Massacre of the Birds by Henry Wordsworth. Perhaps you will become a little more compassionate before you try to remove the fish and the water from our lakes as well.

Julie Rizzuto

Elberon section

of Long Branch