At Schiphol Amsterdam Airport there was a problem with geese.
A decent sized flock of geese in the air can present a real danger to planes landing and taking of, but compounding Schiphol´s problem was this: The Netherlands is a paradise for geese. You’d almost think that centuries ago, when the Dutch began reclaiming their country from the waters, they did so in order to create Goose Paradise: a flat land with a surfeit of water and grass.
Water where the geese can flock together and keep safe from enemies.
Watery grass they can eat: the richest, the greenest grass in the world which feeds the cows which provide the milk which produces some of the best cheese in the world.
And smack bang in the middle of this flat watery grassy land – Schiphol Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world.
The geese weren’t bothered about the constant roar of jets taking off and landing at one of the world’s busiest airports. What they saw was lots of flat grassy land lying vacant, not being farmed or cropped or used – empty.
As their numbers proliferated, they became a part of our modern globalised world in ways which were truly remarkable….