06/11/00

Contaminant study proposed for dead geese scientifically flawed

Oshkosh -- On June 5th, Dr. Ann Frisch, the Coalition's National Coordinator, asked the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to halt their program to kill Canada geese for contaminant testing. According to Gary L. Pearson, DVM, the test protocol is flawed. "The obvious flaw in these guidelines is the unsubstantiated assumption that the targeted populations utilize the same habitats year after year and that the Department knows what those habitats are, where they are located and what contaminants are present, and it assumes that no geese from other areas with different contaminant exposures move in to occupy vacancies created in those habitats by the Department's urban Canada goose control program."

The study is part of a program to relocate juvenile geese and kill some of them to be tested for environmental contaminants. State and federal wildlife agencies have been trying to win public support for their ill-conceived goose killing programs by using a false-charity publicity stunt wherein they force the dead birds onto local food banks. Recent studies in Ohio and New York have confirmed that, because geese feed on contaminated lawns and may spend time around industrial sites, their flesh is unsuitable for human consumption.

Photo courtesy of J. Kratina

Desperate to put a positive spin on their goose killing programs, the DNR has proposed a flimsy testing protocol designed to get the "right" answer. According to Dr. Pearson "...the proposed testing is of little value, except perhaps to fabricate a deception that the Department is performing meaningful monitoring of health hazards posed by urban Canada geese to support its urban Canada goose control program."

For more information see Dr. Gary Pearson's full analysis.