Animal Protection Groups Question Federal Plan to Kill Millions of Canada Geese

10/8/2003

From: Rachel Querry of The Humane Society of the United States, 301-258-8255, http://www.hsus.org

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 -- The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) joined today with the Fund for Animals on behalf of more than eight million members and constituents nationwide to question plans recently announced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that call for killing between 400,000 and 800,000 "resident" Canada geese and their goslings each year for the next ten years.

There are approximately three million resident Canada geese in the U.S. The USFWS is proposing to bring the continent-wide population down by more than a million birds, an arbitrary target the groups say is not scientifically forecasted to resolve conflicts at resident goose hot spots.

"These birds will die for the offense of defecating on public beaches, parks and sidewalks," says Dr. John Grandy, a senior vice president for The HSUS. "The irony is that they would not be there in the first place had wildlife agencies not moved the birds all around the country to create sport hunting opportunities." Grandy points out that most of these birds have settled into the ideal habitat people created in municipal parks and golf courses rather than taking up residence in areas where they could safely be hunted.

"Our species doesn't live in a vacuum-with millions of people and millions of geese in urban areas, there are going to be some conflicts," says Mike Markarian, president of the Fund for Animals, "but there are dozens of success stories where property owners and land managers have rejected cruel killing programs and have solved their goose problems using non-lethal means."

The groups plan to mobilize supporters to contact the USFWS to object to the proposal and will submit comments formally opposing the plan. The deadline for comments is October 20.

The animal protection groups acknowledge the need in many instances to stabilize local goose populations, but argue that preventing development of eggs, a process called addling, is far more humane than shooting or gassing adults and goslings or slaughtering them at commercial poultry processing facilities. The USFWS plan will create a virtual open season on resident geese beginning in spring while they are nesting and continuing though the brood rearing season until official hunting seasons in the fall. Goslings may be killed or orphaned when parents are killed under the USFWS proposal.

Addling, combined with proven habitat alteration techniques to exclude geese from sites or harass them away with specially trained dogs or other scare tactics, has been demonstrated to work. Special repellents are commercially available to deter geese from feeding on turf or to irritate them with fogs that are harmless to people and their pets, but will send the local goose population packing. "Eventually," Grandy notes, "we must modify the urban and suburban habitats that geese find so attractive in ways that not only relieve most problems with geese but which restore better ecological value to our ponds, lakes and streams."

The HSUS is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than seven million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS has protected all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The non-profit organization, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices across the country. For more information on The HSUS' urban wildlife programs and Canada geese, visit The HSUS' Web site - http://www.wildneighbors.org.

The Fund for Animals is a national nonprofit animal protection organization founded in 1967 by late author and humanitarian Cleveland Amory. More information on solving urban wildlife problems is available on The Fund's web site at http://www.fund.org or by calling The Fund's 24-hour urban wildlife hotline at 203-389-4411.