Research Article Incorporating Environmental Considerations in Managing Egyptian Geese on Golf Courses in South Africa BETH MACKAY, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa ROB M. LITTLE, 1 DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa ARJUN AMAR, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa PHIL A. R. HOCKEY, † DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa ABSTRACT Egyptian geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) occur in large numbers on golf courses in southwestern South Africa. They cause physical and financial damage to the courses and are a nuisance to golfers and golf course managers. Most control measures used to reduce the problem have been unsuccessful. We investigated the potential for environmental management options by determining which landscape features attract geese to certain areas within golf courses and cause them to avoid others. Goose vigilance levels were lower in use than in non-use areas regardless of group size (t 1 ¼ 5.837, P  0.001, F 1 ¼ 53.877, P  0.001). This behavior suggested that geese were attracted to some areas because they perceive them to be safer. Landscape features that attracted Egyptian geese were large open patches of lawn (>1.5 ha) and proximity to water bodies (<100 m). Water bodies should not be adjacent to open foraging or loafing areas. Other modifications may include planting herbaceous vertical vegetation around water bodies and open fairways to reduce habitat openness and predator visibility. Our results suggest that the level of the goose problem at any golf course is a consequence of the intrinsic properties of that course and not influenced by the extent of the problem at nearby golf courses. Ó 2014 The Wildlife Society. KEY WORDS Alopochen aegyptiaca, Egyptian goose, golf courses, habitat management, human-wildlife conflict, predator vigilance, South Africa, wildlife management. Egyptian geese (Alopochen aegyptiaca) occur throughout sub- Saharan Africa, excluding forested regions (Brown et al. 1982, Scott and Rose 1996). In South Africa, Egyptian goose numbers have increased with urbanization and agriculture (Hockey et al. 2005). Increased populations have caused crop damage (Mangnall and Crowe 2001, 2002), similar to that reported for Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in the United States and Britain (Flegler et al. 1987, Conover 1988, Patterson 1991, Allan et al. 1995, Ankney 1996). Human- goose conflicts on South African golf courses, including polluting the greens and fairways, are similar to that experienced in North America (Conover and Chasko 1985, Gosser et al. 1997, Coluccy et al. 2001, Little and Sutton 2013). Egyptian goose movement patterns may be more related to prior experience and molting site requirements than by external forces such as rainfall and food availability (Cumming et al. 2012; Ndlovu et al. 2013, 2014). Milstein (1993) suggested the key factor influencing habitat choice by Egyptian geese is safety from predators. Elements that influence geese perceived safety are the presence of avian or mammalian predators and visual obstructions that may decrease visibility. The presence of water bodies increases security by serving as a resting and molting refuge from predation. Egyptian geese often favor man-made water bodies (Hockey et al. 2005) with large, open water surfaces and clear beaches, which provide increased predator visibility (Frone- man et al. 2001). Predation risk also may be reduced by increased group size, decreasing the per capita vigilance required in large groups (Whittingham et al. 2004). Thus, geese in man-made environments, such as golf courses, where natural predators are scarce or removed, and where open areas and water bodies are plentiful may be afforded more secure settings than in natural landscapes (S. Cunningham and P. A. Hockey, University of Cape Town, unpublished report). The Western Cape Province, South Africa, has 106 golf courses, providing geese with almost 5,000 ha of habitat (Fox and Hockey 2007). Golfers consider Egyptian geese a nuisance on some South African golf courses (Little and Received: 4 February 2013; Accepted: 23 February 2014 Published: 16 April 2014 1 E-mail: rob.little@uct.ac.za † Deceased. The Journal of Wildlife Management 78(4):671–678; 2014; DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.711 Mackay et al.  Managing Egyptian Geese on Golf Courses 671