Wildlife Officials Kill 700 Geese Near JFK
U.S. wildlife officials finally got their hands on and gassed 700 Canada geese holed up in a bird refuge next to John F. Kennedy airport in New York.
The birds, considered prime culprits in dangerous and sometimes deadly aviation strikes, were living at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, on protected land belonging to the U.S. National Park Service.
Canada geese sucked into jet engines most famously brought down U.S. Airways Flight 1549 out of LaGuardia airport in New York on Jan. 15, 2009. Capt. Chesley Sullenberger managed to glide the plane into the Hudson River and save all 155 people on board.
On Monday, between sunrise and noon and armed with U.S. Fish and Wildlife permits issued June 29, officials snared 700 Canada geese, shipped them to upstate New York for processing and they will hand out the meat to food charities, USDA spokeswoman Carol Bannerman told the Star.
Only 3 per cent of the USDA program to control Canada geese populations involves gassing, she said. Most are "dispersed" by altering habitats.
The USDA struck an agreement with New York City after Flight 1549 to remove Canada geese from parks and other city-owned property within an eight kilometre radius of JFK and LaGuardia airports, expanded in 2010 to 11 kilometres.
Worldwide, bird strikes are said to cost the aviation industry $1.2 billion a year.
Copyright 2012 Toronto Star Newspapers Limited
