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PHOTOGRAPH BY KRYSTYNA SZULECKA, FLPA/MINDEN PICTURES
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By Christine Dell’Amore
Anyone who’s taken a stroll through a neighborhood in North America has likely encountered the wrath of Canada geese parents. These up-to-20-pound birds are feisty defenders of their young, and will honk or charge any interloper, human or otherwise. Throughout history, humans harnessed that aggression to their benefit, using geese to watch over warehouses of whiskey or warn of Roman invaders.
Now, China is putting its domestic geese (one pictured above) on patrol along its 300-mile border with Vietnam. Their mission: Stop coronavirus from entering the country. Reinforcing this feathered garrison are about 400 guard dogs. The animals are part of maintaining China’s zero-COVID policy.
Is it working? In December, a goose allegedly honked the alarm to help catch two people illegally crossing the border, a state-funded website reported. Chinese officials did not respond to National Geographic’s request to confirm the event. Whether or not geese can help control the pandemic, the birds will likely be an ally—and an annoying neighbor—for centuries to come.
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