Should authorities euthanize geese when public health is threatened?
By: LFDA Editor
Canada geese are creating problems in some communities, fouling public areas and water supplies, even threatening air traffic. Some communities, with the help of a federal agency, solve the problem by killing the geese. Is this a reasonable solution?
In New Hampshire, according to statistics cited by the Union Leader, the resident bird population has roughly doubled over the last few years, with the concentration of geese residing in the southern part of the state.
The Humane Society says "Canada geese are traditionally associated with lakes and ponds, but they also spend time on land and will nest some distance from water if the site seems safe. Artificial ponds and lakes, storm water impoundments, and vast expanses of good grazing surfaces typical of municipal parks, corporate and school campuses, golf courses, and other human-built environments are ideal habitat for geese. This is the main reason they have settled in to year-round residency and have grown in numbers in suburban and urban areas."
"One of the things about geese is they produce a minimum of a half-pound to a pound of feces per day per bird," Carol Bannerman, public affairs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, told the Union Leader. "That creates conflict, extremely degraded land and people begin to have problems."
The birds are a federally protected wildlife species and New Hampshire Fish and Game does not handle nuisance issues. That chore goes to the USDA.
The USDA recommends ways to discourage geese from an area (a no-feeding policy in public parks, for example) and tries to relocate them; the agency only agrees to culling them when no other means work.
New Hampshire also has a Canada goose hunting season in September, with a daily bag limit of five and a possession limit of 10.
In 2009, 42 Canada geese were euthanized in the state. In 2010 that number grew to 203, when the estimated Canada goose in New Hampshire population was 30,000.
The Humane Society recommends modifying the Canada goose habitat so "we can fully enjoy our properties and public green spaces—as well as our wild neighbors."
What's the proper course of action here? Should authorities euthanize geese when public health is threatened?