Prison in Brazil ditches guard dogs for a gaggle of geese
Being in prison is not supposed to be a vacation. Most people in prison are there because they broke the law following some poor choices in their lives. Prison is supposed to rehabilitate you so you can be reintegrated into society given a second chance at life but some people are a little impatient on their release date.
As one can imagine, escaping from prison is frowned upon and results in more prison time when you get caught. To deter prisoners from escaping, most penitentiaries have a guard tower, guard dogs and razor blade wire on the top of the fencing. But a prison in Brazil is trying something a little different to keep overzealous prisoners inside the walls of the building until their release date.
They replaced their guard dogs with geese. Yes, those waddling feather dusters that honk and bite if you get too close. It would be easy to believe that a gaggle of geese would be less of a deterrent than a few large barking dogs but the strategy seems to be paying off. Anyone who has ever encountered a goose in the wild would probably wager that an angry goose is much more intimidating than a dog.
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The geese have been part of the prison's defense system for more than ten years. They're respected as colleagues to the prison guards who care for them.
"It's never happened but if someone tried to escape, the geese would go crazy. They would get our attention without a doubt," prison officer Marcos Coronetti tells TRT World.
Sao Pedro de Alcantra Penitentiary is the only prison in the entire country that uses geese instead of dogs to deter escape. They've found that the geese are much less expensive to maintain than guard dogs. The honking water fouls also require much less attention, training and vet visits than the canines they replaced. Geese don't require you to go out and play fetch or to keep up with scent tracking training. There's also no need to teach geese specific alert barks so humans know if someone is attempting to escape.
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"They're not expensive. They make much more of a ruckus than the dogs and they have no time off. They are far better prepared than dogs for this job of surveillance," Coronetti says.
These particular geese are sentinel geese and were domesticated for the purpose of essentially being home alarm systems. Of course the prison doesn't rely solely on their feathered guards to keep the inmates within the walls of the prison. They have cameras, guards and other mechanisms typical in any prison to aid in maintaining the prison population but unlike the humans, the geese don't take shifts. They work around the clock, ready to squawk and flap at the first sign on unexpected movement.
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People think this is a fantastic idea though it may have sounded a bit unorthodox at first, with one person writing, "My respect for the guy who had the idea and the courage to talk other people into using geese as part of prison defenses. That's one hell of a 'Now, hear me out....'"
Another commenter chuckles, "Man this is hilarious and practical hahah - they're even called sentinel geese."
One person writes, "Another fun fact. Geese can't be bribed with food over time like dogs can. Making them incorruptible. That alone should give prisoners goose bumps at night."
One goose owner concedes that geese are great at alerting saying, "We have geese. They are so territorial. If they see people, they quack so loudly. Even if they see you everyday, you can't really stop them from quacking if they see you."
Who knew geese could be such great alarm system. Maybe there will be more prisons following suit, especially when there's a chance of saving a good bit of money on vet bills and training programs. All they need now is their own little badges and guard towers to add to the cuteness factor for their seriously adorable jobs.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
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Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."