[Diddle E. Squat]

Sheesh, haven't the animal whacko's ever heard of 'The Tragedy of the Commons'?

[Diddle E. Squat]

For the past three years, activists have staked out area parks, keeping watch in shifts for game agents. If the agents appear, the activists shoo the birds into the water, where they are not allowed to be captured.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Federal wildlife agents have destroyed more than 5,600 geese in Seattle since a federal judge ruled in 2000 that the government could kill Canada geese in portable gas chambers set up on the back of trucks.

Gee, taking them to a mini-Auschwits is so much more humane than hunting them. </sarcasm>

[LizardQueen]

What a waste - those birds should've been eaten. They should open up a limited goose hunt.

LQ

[Bringbackthedraft]

This is real, right? Its not another Onion report? We have the same problem in our area, the geese don't go south anymore. They just hang around all year and the flocks just keep getting bigger. Where are all the hunters? (Actually its too close to the residential areas for goose hunting)

[Sunshine Sister]

We had a huge flock of geese at the place the business I work for moved to. On the weekends they would poop all over the parking lots. What a mess.

[jriemer]

USS DuckDestroyer

[Some hope remaining.]

They say the roundups are cruel and unnecessary and advocate nonlethal methods.

Have they considered teaching the birds abstinence, or handing out birth control at goose high schools?

[joesnuffy]

gather up the eggs and take them to the homeless shelter for omlettes

[D. Brian Carter]

I'm just wondering when they changed the name to "Canada geese". This isn't the first time I've heard this new expression in recent months... does anyone have an explanation? I know it's petty, I'm just curious; I always thought they were called Canadian Geese. Are we going to start calling our National Bird the America Bald Eagle? Just wonderin'....

[Billthedrill]

...said Bob Chorush of Give Geese a Chance.

Welcome to Seattle. You can't make this stuff up...

So much of the view of these folks is romantic idealizing from an artistic angle and a safe distance. I find that proximity and long acquaintance with wild animals serves to remind one that they're successful mostly because they're in one way or another extraordinarily nasty, and that people killing and eating them is not by far the worst fate they face. After all, the only "old animal homes" and the only places on earth they face death by other than starvation or slaughter are the same zoos these folks bleat are inhumane.

[-YYZ-]

We've got one breeding pair of Canada geese and their goslings living in the catch pond behind the building where I work. Quite enjoying having them there and watching them and the little ones. Too many in one place is definitely a problem, though. They really are beautiful big birds in small numbers, though. Never eaten one, though, but I'd be willing to give it a try.

[arielb]

I'm outraged the geese weren't used for pate and down pillows