Fake Coyotes Roam Wando in an Effort to Scare Off Geese
A student is running to class, trying to get to the CAS as fast as he can, he realizes he stepped in something — a little treat from the geese at Wando High School.
Geese at the school are nothing new to students and staff, as they have been around sometimes longer than the teachers. But there came a point where they became a serious issue. On the fields where kids practice every week, there were herds of them, leaving something for the kids to step in.
No one wants to slide into first base and pick up some product on the way there. No one wants to be that guy.
So the school found a way to solve this problem — fake coyotes. Yes, that is correct. Made up of plastic and fabric, the decoy coyotes are used to scare off the geese.
Wando High school has set up multiple coyotes in an attempt to keep their sports fields clear.
Assistant Principal Dan Conner, in charge of facilities, was given the idea by a colleague at the district office. They had previously given some to other schools who had a similar problem, and was more than happy to lend a few to Wando.
“At first I thought they meant real coyotes but they quickly reassured me that they were fake,” Conner said. “Obviously we didn’t want to hurt any animals, that was not an option, but we needed a fix.”
Obviously we didn’t want to hurt any animals, that was not an option, but we needed a fix.
— Dan Conner
And so the district picked some up from Walmart for $65 a piece, and finally, the school had a solution.
Staff photographer, Nancy Remoll, picks up one of the fake coyotes.
Soon enough, three coyotes were placed on the softball and baseball fields Feb. 22, and there have been no geese problems since.
They look real, their tails blow in the wind, and they scare off the invaders — it was a match made in heaven.
But to keep the waddling creatures oblivious to the scheme, their position must be changed daily, a job that coaches and student concern specialists have taken control of.
“To be perfectly honest with you they are kind of scary, but some of the girls on the softball team have already named one of them George, so now it’s a running joke as well,” Conner said.
The school is extremely happy with how things have gone so far, and they went from seeing three dozen geese a day to zero — which came as a big relief.
“Everyone should go try and see them, they are pretty funny,” Conner said, “and lots of kids take selfies with them.”
