[rollei_list] Re: Speaking of Geese
- From: Marvin <marvbej@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 31 Dec 2012 10:21:16 -0500
In the summer of 2010 the USDA rounded up all the Canada geese in Brooklyn's
Prospect Park (about 400, in number) and gassed them. Instead of going to feed
the homeless, or some other worthy cause, the carcasses went to a landfill, a
total waste. The reason for the goose massacre was the downing of a passenger
jet in the East (aka North) River some months earlier, due to it's colliding
with a skein of the critters. It didn't matter that Prospect Park is many miles
from JFK airport, from which the ill-fated jetliner took off, or that these
particular geese never traveled very far, due to the abundant food supply in
the park. The actual population of geese from which the aircraft-downers came,
was in Jamaica Bay, close to the airport, but federally -protected. The USDA
bureaucrats had to show that they were doing something, however useless.
There was a great outcry among animal lovers, with goose watches set up for the
last two summers, to spread the word if the USDA tried another overnight goose
round up. The USDA, NYC administration, and Prospect Park Alliance (a private
organization, which raises funds for the park and runs it, by arrangement with
the City, and had reluctantly acquiesced to the slaughter ) were so embarrassed
by the negative publicity that there's been no recurrence. Meanwhile the
Prospect Park Branta canadensis population has rebounded to about a third of
what it had been [probably a good thing, because the over population WAS
causing problems, even if it wasn't downing aircraft] and the Alliance has
posted signs around Prospect Park, urging visitors not too feed the water fowl.
Bob Marvin
Other related posts:
- » [rollei_list] Re: Speaking of Geese - Marvin
