Protests Fly Over Euthanization Of Nuisance Geese

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/102024) The Natural Resource Commission (NRC) listened Thursday to protests about its process to euthanize nuisance geese after an out-of-state advocacy group sounded alarms on billboards across the state.

In Defense of Animals, a California-based animal advocacy group, urged readers to call Gov. Gretchen Whitmer or Department of Natural Resource Director M. Scott Bowen and show up at the Natural Resource Commission meeting to protest culling geese using carbon dioxide gas.

“Michigan’s geese are being scapegoated for human-caused environmental issues, despite the availability of humane, non-lethal solutions,” the group’s website states.

The group states the geese are being targeted by lakefront homeowners for extermination of the geese.

The NRC first heard about changing the rules regarding nuisance geese in September to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. 

DNR Waterfowl and Wetland Specialist Barbara Avers said prior to the avian flu outbreak the DNR was rounding up the geese and moving them to a game area or other conservation plot. In 2024, they relocated about 10,000 geese and were running out of spots to put them.

“One of the big concerns is we didn’t want to have this increased risk of moving Canadian geese around the state and potentially increasing the transmission of the virus,” she said.

Removing a flock of nuisance geese is a regulated process. First, organizations and townships need to apply. From there, at least 70 percent of a lake shore association, homeowners association or township must be in support before the lethal option is approved.

“This isn’t a program that’s just open to anybody. I think the other important thing to point out is that it’s completely up to communities – lake associations, golf courses, whoever the applicant is – It’s their choice to do this or not,” Avers said.

She said the DNR urges people to try harassment techniques to scare the geese away, and there are private contractors with trained dogs and other options if the township or organization wants to go that route.

“One of the other things they can do is request a permit to destroy those nests or eggs,” she said. 

If all options have been exhausted, the DNR can round them up and euthanize the geese with carbon dioxide.

She said the carbon dioxide method of euthanization, which was objected to by the protesters and the Californian advocacy group, was approved by the American Veterinary Association.

She said the DNR was working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to come up with a testing method that any of the birds killed could be donated to organizations like Sportsmen Against Hunger that team up with food banks across the state. 

“There’s some contaminant issues that we want to talk about and potential testing of that meat before it goes into a donation process,” Avers said.