Nuisance Species
What does being Nuisance mean?
A “Nuisance” species is a group of animals, sometimes considered Native, that cause problems in their environment, usually disrupting surrounding organisms, in most cases, humans.
Bird Of Petty's
Although the Wild Turkey is a member of the Native species catalog, they are also listed as a Nuisance species due to their disturbance to the environment, specifically with their tendency to cause roadblocks. They are famously known for chasing down postal workers, children, delivery people, and even visitors to local parks. They don’t stop quite yet, as they have also been caught pecking and attacking parked vehicles, leaving scratches and dents on the vehicles. However, these animals are not aggressive for no reason, so it is important to stay calm when encountering large crowds, as they will just walk past.
You may never have thought about it, but the common behaviors of Canadian Geese we see in public spaces, such as their aggressive behavior towards humans and large amounts of droppings in areas like local parks, are what cause them to fall into the Nuisance list. There’s a cause for concern when it comes to our public health, especially when we look at their impact on water quality as they degrade the water quality with their high quantity of waste. However, there are many efforts towards decreasing their disturbance, one being habit modification, which is short for making the area less attractive to the geese, for example, having less grass means less food, which takes a way from their desire to be in the area.
Insects
Eastern Bumblebees are rarely described as aggressive; however, they will become defensive about their hives, which can cause disturbances when these hives are built in or around homes. While they may not be aggressive towards other humans, they will display invasive behaviors such as competing for habitat and food resources against other bee species. This itself categorizes them a nuisance, while they can disturb the flow of their environment, they still serve a key role in the pollination of various fruits and vegetables we eat.
