Tell the USDA: Give Geese a Chance!

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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site

Thousands of geese are being captured and exterminated in New York City. Take action!

Tell the USDA: Give Geese a Chance!

Since the “Miracle on the Hudson” airline crash in 2009, USDA Wildlife Services has been regularly slaughtering thousands of geese in New York parks in an ongoing effort to keep them away from major airport locations.

The geese are captured from the wild and taken to gas chambers where they suffer a slow and agonizing death by suffocation. The initiative is costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.

There are humane ways to control potentially dangerous animal populations that don’t involve exterminating large groups of innocent animals. What’s more, this mass extermination method has proven ineffective at preventing goose collisions with airplanes, the entire reason the practice began. Roundups and slaughters only clear the area temporarily, and other geese are quick to repopulate the vacant desirable habitat.

The current tactics are unacceptable. Sign the petition telling the USDA to take responsibility for their actions and come up with a new plan for geese population control in New York City.

<p>Check out this revealing video, filmed by a GooseWatch NYC advocate, of USDA representatives rounding up hundreds of wild geese at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to be transported to gas chambers for extermination.</p>

The Petition

<p>Dear Tom Vilsack, USDA administrator,</p><p>I am shocked by the inhumane goose population control methods that have been taking place in New York since the "Miracle on the Hudson" incident in 2009. I understand the need for airline safety, and I'm aware of the dangers that high-flying birds pose to jet engines. But I am appalled at the brutal and ineffective manner in which the USDA has chosen to address the problem.</p><p>Simply corralling large numbers of helpless geese and conducting mass exterminations is not only inhumane, but it is also completely ineffective at keeping flight space clear. Countless examples have demonstrated that roundups and slaughters only clear the area temporarily, as subsequent generations of geese are quick to repopulate the vacant desirable habitat.</p><p>One would think that with expert knowledge on animal populations and control, a government agency would find a more civilized and effective way to manage the problem. Please CEASE AND DESIST your goose murder program and find better tactics to handle the issue of overpopulation. It's your responsibility to preserve all life, not just that of humans.</p><p>Thank you for your time.</p>