Following the recent euthanization of around 290 Canada geese in Prospect Park, a nine-page report shows the city's overall goal to thin down the population by 2/3, meaning that around 170,000 geese will be sent to the gas chamber.
According to CityRoom, who obtained the report, the plan being put forth by the United States Department of Agriculture was a result of meetings that took place following the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, which occurred after geese hit the jet's engines.
At the meetings, officials from the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the National Park Service and members from Mayor Bloomberg’s office asked the department how many goose strikes have occurred in New York, and that answer is 78 in 10 years, causing $2.2MM in aircraft damage. The parties all agreed to the plan, which in the end would have the captured geese placed in commercial turkey crates, euthanized, and buried.
Back in 2009 when the NY Post told the city to "Pluck 'Em!", Wildlife biologist Steve Garber told them the options of thinning out the population. He said the geese could be relocated, or killed for meat donated to shelters—he also added that shooting them, shaking their eggs, wrecking their nests, throwing rocks at them and hitting them with sticks would also work.
