'Guard geese' becoming more common in Korea: report

More factories, farms opting to use geese to safeguard their property instead of dogs

This stock photo of geese on a farm is not directly related to this article. (123rf)

The so-called "goose agents," which made headlines recently after their use at a Brazilian prison, appear to be increasingly deployed at farms and factories in South Korea in recent months.

Several cases have emerged of agricultural and industrial facilities in rural areas using domestic geese as guard animals. One example, reported by the Korean-language daily Chosun Ilbo, involves a steel factory in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, which reportedly purchased four geese for nighttime security.

"Repeated thefts were giving me headaches, and an acquaintance suggested I should get geese. They cost less than Jindo dogs (indigenous species in Korea known for their loyalty and ferocity), and are easier to manage," the factory owner Jeong Tae-ho was quoted as saying.

A farm in Yangju of the same province reportedly saw its guard geese chase away a trespasser in a car, with male geese's loud honking and aggression being "beyond imagination."

In 2023 and 2024, multiple international media outlets reported that a prison in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina replaced patrol dogs with geese. The birds were said to be patrolling the space between the inner fence and outer walls, showing aggression toward out-of-line inmates.

The reports also quoted affordability as the main appeal for using guard geese.

While not generally considered a particularly intimidating animal, geese have actually been used for security purposes throughout history. A record shows showed geese alerted the Romans during the Battle of the Allia in 387 BC, and there have been multiple cases of the birds being used to supplement dogs, drones, or humans at warehouses or even military and police facilities worldwide.

Geese tend to make loud noises when approached by strangers, and are deceptively strong due to their large size. They are known to be loyal and friendly to a human they perceive as a pack leader.