Citizens Unite Against Gas Chamber Goose Massacre
This past summer, dozens of Canada geese were senselessly rounded up and killed at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana, Illinois, but they haven’t been forgotten and we’re still working hard to ensure this never happens again. Along with our fellow activists at Friends of Geese, we’ve continued to advocate for nonlethal measures to be used which would allow us to coexist with geese in public parks and other areas, and we recently launched an eye-catching billboard in Urbana to raise awareness for them.
In June, 175 unsuspecting geese and goslings were rounded up during molting season, while they were flightless and defenseless by order of the Urbana Park District. Terrified geese were herded, separated from their friends and families, and gassed to death in mobile gas chambers while the remaining geese were vulnerable, horrified, and traumatized. Canada geese mate for life, but one gander was left without his mate to father their goslings alone along with several others who were orphaned.
These geese were horrifically killed despite public opposition and the Urbana Park District's own reports showing five years of steady improvement and a marked population decrease of 12% in the last two years using nonlethal strategies. Unfortunately, no efforts were made to establish a "tolerance zone" for geese away from human activities as a long-term solution.
Goose poop complaints are common and are often used as an excuse to slaughter geese. However, this can easily be remedied by hiring companies to clean the waste, which is an effective fertilizer and not a health hazard as claimed.
Local activists weren't notified about the lethal goose roundup in time to voice their concerns, so they staged colorful and well-supported demonstrations bi-weekly up until the geese were brutally killed. Tragically, the District pushed the required depredation permits through quickly to prevent further public outcry.
While we can’t save those whose lives were cruelly and senselessly lost, we’ve continued to speak out on their behalf and won’t stop until nonlethal alternatives to roundups and slaughter are implemented.
In an effort to see this through, our pioneering goose campaigners recently organized a flashmob of animal activists and concerned citizens, who gathered around an eye-catching billboard we launched in Urbana. We collectively demanded an end to the killing of geese in the area, in a protest led by renowned and much-loved physician Dr. Patch Adams.
We rely on our compassionate supporters to raise awareness about how geese are unfairly persecuted. Last year, we launched our National Goose Protection Coalition to help concerned citizens stop roundups in their communities.
You can help by urging the Urbana Park District to implement effective, non-lethal, and humane goose management strategies at: www.idausa.org/saveurbanageese.