What do you do if you've got an overpopulation of Canada geese in your state? Well, if you're Michigan, you gas them to death.
Not kidding.
Still don't believe me?
Yes, for real, Michigan has a Canada goose problem, and the DNR's solution is gassing them to death.
Flocks of Canada geese will be corralled, stuffed into chambers and gassed to death with carbon dioxide this year under a new last-resort option available to golf courses, parks and lake associations through a Michigan nuisance program …
Biologists with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which has for decades helped private landowners address goose problems, respond that putting geese to death will only be allowed only under limited circumstances and isn't encouraged by the state.
And people are not happy about it. Michigander Karen Stamper has been outspoken concerning the geese gassing, saying, "Nobody agrees with this, except for the people who live on a lake and don't want them." Karen also collected donations to create this billboard, which can be seen on Interstate 96.
It's unfortunate about her name …
The DNR says it's not as big a deal as people are making it out to be.
‘This is not intended to be a mass gassing or a culling effort,' said DNR Wildlife Biologist and Acting Waterfowl Specialist Kaitlyn Barnes. ‘It's that last-resort, targeted option for sites that have exhausted all other methods of control.'
…
Private landowners can now apply for crews with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services to capture and kill geese with portable, airtight gas chambers, but Barnes said they'll have to exhaust all other options first.
That means hazing or harassing birds with laser pointers, repellents or specially-trained dogs. Sites will also be required to participate in goose nest and egg destruction the year they apply in order to be considered for lethal roundup.
So first they'll have to harass the birds and make their lives miserable.
The locations will also need a minimum of 100 birds, or they'll need to qualify for human health and safety concerns.
A mere ten locations have applied for the geese gassing, though who knows how many are currently harassing the birds in order to qualify.
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