BORDER collies could be the answer to the controversy over the threatened geese of Rowntree Park, York.

American experience shows that trained collies can quickly and harmlessly chase away the birds and discourage them from staying in the long term.

Animal rights activists believe the dogs could solve the problem of the park's Canada Geese, which have been living under the threat of death since City of York Council decided to go ahead with a cull in response to public health concerns.

The council said this week that as the Government had turned down a request to relocate the geese to a sanctuary in Surrey, they now had no option but to kill more than 70 of the birds.

But a spokeswoman for New Jersey Wild Geese Control Inc, an American company with years of experience in dealing with the problem, said dogs were only one answer.

"The Border collies mimic the movements of the arctic fox, which is the geese's natural predator," she said.

"If the dogs patrol the area several times a day, seven days a week the geese are discouraged by the dog's presence and become conditioned to avoid these areas."

The spokeswoman said the dogs did not harm the geese, but rather discouraged them from staying too long.

Another way of dissuading the geese from overstaying their welcome in the park is limiting their food supply by keeping grass cut extremely short and imposing fines on people feeding them.

But a spokesman for City of York Council said: "When the problem of the geese

was discussed by the council's leisure committee back in December, the option

of having a dog in the park to keep the geese away was considered as an option

"However, in a family park councillors did not feel it was a practical solution to the problems such as goose droppings and aggression from the

birds which the public have raised with the council in their

demands to cut the number of geese in the park

"The council has investigated the range of options at length and still feels the most practical".

A petition with more than 100 signatures calling for the geese to be saved has been sent to City of York Council by visitors to the RSPCA's shelter at Landing Lane, York.

Manager Elaine Murdoch said there had been overwhelming opposition to the cull.The latest petition brings to nearly 1,000 the number of people who have objected to the council's plan.