• Font Size    
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

County To Use Non-Lethal Method To Control Geese

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Mar 26, 2008 10:02 pm US/Eastern

County To Use Non-Lethal Method To Control Geese

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― They're beautiful birds, but to some, Canadian geese are a problem that just won't go away.

Last year, Allegheny County euthanized more than 270 geese in North Park, but this year officials are taking a non-lethal approach.

Appalled animal rights activists picketed County Executive Dan Onorato's church in protest of the decision last year.

"We would just like to point out the moral hypocrisy and we felt that the church was a place to shame him in front of his fellow parishioners," Lindsay Zurosky, from Voices for Animals of Western Pennsylvania, said.

From now on, the county says it will try to manage the goose population without killing them.

"I would never promise that we're never going to harvest, but we're going to try hard not to," Andrew Baechle, from the parks department, said.

With nesting season upon us, the county says it will dispatch an army of workers to fight each goose nest - oiling the eggs to prevent them from hatching.

"We're not talking about killing the geese or anything - just oiling the eggs so no more young are born," Baechle said. "We need to stabilize the population."

The county also plans to step up its harassment of the geese using lasers, pyrotechnic flares and border collies to scare them away.

The county hopes it will make the park more user-friendly and visitors can enjoy the groves and lake side areas without stepping in goose feces.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

You need the latest Flash player to view video content.
Click here to download.

Click here to bypass this detection if you already have the latest Flash Player.

Top Stories

Top News Stories

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.