Missouri’s Giant Canada Geese population has more than doubled in less than a decade. Some of those geese have moved into cities, attracted by lush lawns, ponds, and the lack of hunters and predators. That has prompted the State Conservation Department to round-up some of the geese inurban areas when the flight feathers were molted and have them slaughtered. Department wildlife biologist Dave Graber says the Department would like to use just non-lethal methods because most people like to have the birds around. Graber says the Department has to kill a certain number of the nuisance birds in the cities because it would not be fair for a minority of people to have to bear the brunt of most of the problems the birds cause. The most recent round-up put nearly 500 birds in local foodpantries.
