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Health & Fitness

Help Humanely Manage the Goose Population at Ocean County Parks

If you're an animal lover, wildlife watcher or park goer, consider joining me and the Ocean County Park's Department at a workshop to learn how to humanely manage the goose population.

If you’re an animal lover, wildlife watcher or park goer, consider joining me and the Ocean County Park’s Department at a workshop to learn how to humanely manage the goose population.

Ocean County has been struggling for years to resolve conflicts with Canada geese in its parks. Hundreds of resident Canada geese and goslings live in the county’s parks each spring and summer, taking advantage of the perfect feeding and nesting habitat that the parks provide. The crux of the problem, however, is the amount of droppings left behind. Thankfully, there is a humane way to solve this problem.

In the past, the Ocean County has contracted with USDA’s Wildlife Services, which rounded up and killed the geese and goslings each year. The “round-ups” are done during the birds’ annual molt, in June or July, when they are growing new flight feathers and cannot fly. As a result, the geese are easily corralled into pens and then pushed into gas chambers and killed with carbon dioxide gas.

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Round-up and killing programs are not just inhumane but they don’t solve conflicts with geese. The result is that the vacant habitat is quickly filled by new geese looking for open nesting spots. A far better approach is to alter habitats so they’re less suitable to geese, stop the human hand-outs, harass geese away from areas where they aren’t wanted, and lower the population growth of geese by addling their eggs.

Egg addling is a humane way to control the population growth of Canada geese and is approved by The Humane Society of the United States when done properly. The process involves covering eggs with corn oil to prevent the goslings from hatching.

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Ocean County has experienced a noticeable reduction in goslings through its successful egg addling program in targeted areas.

This nesting season, Ocean County wishes to expand its egg addling program through volunteer participation under the county’s parks department. Volunteers are essential to this successful program because Ocean County Park’s Department does not have enough staff or resources to expand the program on their own. With an ample number of volunteers, there won’t be any need for a round-up and killing program this summer.

The HSUS is holding a workshop on March 19 to train potential volunteers in egg addling techniques, and we need your help!

Whether you are a lover of geese who wants to help prevent a round-up this year, a park-goer who is tired of stepping in goose poop, or a nature lover who would like to experience wildlife up-close, we welcome you as a volunteer. The workshop will be held at Jakes Branch County Park at 7 p.m.

Lynsey White Dasher is an urban wildlife specialist of The Humane Society of the United States. She will lead a “Canada Goose Egg Addling Workshop” March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Jakes Branch County Park.

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