Culling (and Eating) Urban Geese

 

Back in June the CBC radio show Q discussed the topic of discussion was what to do about the goose problem in urban areas.

Today, Jian talked to Jackson Landers, who argues the solution to the overpopulation of Canada Geese is to hunt them and eat them.

As natural predators disappear, many communities in North America are dealing with large numbers of the birds. They are blamed for fouling rivers, lakes and beaches. A large flock of them even brought down an airplane in New York City.

Last year, authorities in New York culled more than 150,000 of the birds. Their carcasses went to landfill. But this year, the goose meat will go to feed needy people in Pennsylvania.

I will offer up that goose is delicious (very similar to a good steak when cooked properly). They are also nearing numbers that would take their population from healthy to unhealthy with few natural predators and great expanses of public green space to use as habitat. In many places the birds are no longer migrating as they have enough food and good habitat to stay in one place year-round.

I say all of this as I count down the hours to my first goose hunt of the 2011-2012 season this afternoon. But there aren’t enough hunters to manage the goose population anymore. In lieu of persuading more people to shoulder a gun, humane culling and a good use for the meat is the best alternative.