Take a slow, deep breath. Doesn’t that feel good? Oxygen… it’s the breath of life. Oxygen enters the lungs where it diffuses into the blood through capillaries. It enters a red blood cell and combines with the hemoglobin so oxygen can be transported to the rest of the body’s organs. It works that way in humans and it works that way in birds.
As previously reported, Mount Laurel Township in New Jersey has signed a contract with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for geese management at Laurel Acres Park and other township owned lands. At the May 3 township council meeting, Mayor Jim Keenan “strongly denied” Mount Laurel Township will be using euthanasia to control the geese population.
On Wednesday evening Jennifer Blumenthal met with Mount Laurel Township resident, Tina Wilson, Animal Activist Dave Sauder from Animal Rights Activists of New Jersey, Sharon Pawlak, a Medford resident with many years experience in humanely controlling Canadian geese populations and this author. During this meeting Blumenthal clearly stated that euthanasia is indeed still a viable option under consideration this year.
Blumenthal reported the majority of calls she has received about the geese population in the township have been in favor of killing the geese, although she could not give even an estimated number of those calls.
Wilson countered with the idea that if residents were honestly informed of the methods used for killing geese (CO2 chambers and shooting) they would not agree with going forward with the killing. Blumenthal stated the USDA and AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) consider carbon dioxide poisoning a humane way to kill geese. Wilson said no, it is not and gave Blumenthal information she obtained from the internet to review but Blumenthal did not accept it.
A cursory look into the question finds the USDA website states CO2 is a humane form of euthanasia for geese and implies the AVMA concurs. But if you bother to look at the AVMA guidelines on euthanasia it states “Large birds should be anesthetized prior to euthanasia, using general anesthetics." This is not done with CO2 chambers.
Feeding of wildlife encourages them to stay put and Pawlak inquired if Mount Laurel was enforcing township regulations prohibiting feeding of the geese. Blumenthal replied that due to the economy she wouldn’t want that ordinance to be enforced with fines. If the ordinance is not enforced and people continue to feed the geese, they will continue to multiply.
Blumenthal indicated she is still waiting for the final nest count before making a decision to euthanize and would not reply one way or the other to whether or not killing geese will occur this year as part of the geese control project. Egg addling has occurred. If the killing of geese occurs, it will begin in about two weeks because that is the time of year when Canadian Geese molt and cannot fly, making them easy to round up and contain.
Other suggestions made to Blumenthal were installation of lighting and spraying grounds to discourage geese from remaining. Blumenthal said she was not aware of the spraying option and would take all suggestions into consideration but was clear that the possibility remains killing geese this year is still an option.
Take another deep breath… feels good, right? Now let me explain what it is like to be killed in a CO2 chamber.
The geese are rounded up and corralled easily because killing the geese is done at the time of year when they are molting and cannot fly until their new feathers grow back in. They are trapped and crowded together during which each goose is picked up by their wings, necks stretching in unnatural shapes from fear of being handled by a human.
They are tossed (often squeezed and stuffed) into the gas chamber with as many birds as can fit into the small space. Fear really starts to take hold as they find themselves in a darkened container with no room to move about. The geese will start to step on each other trying in vain to reach the top in search of breathable air to be found.
Carbon dioxide gas is introduced into the chamber through a pressurized canister. As the oxygen in the air is slowly replaced by carbon dioxide the birds at first try to hold their breath, much as a drowning person would in an automatic attempt to prolong life.
Indeed, geese are adept at holding their breath as they use this skill for bobbing underwater. Dr. Raj, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Division of Farm Animal Science, School of Clinical Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, UK reports "Waterfowl are particularly resilient to the effect of this gas because they could hold their breath due to elevated CO2 in their blood."
As any human knows a mammal can only hold its breath for so long. Same for the geese; their mouths will eventually open and instead of taking in oxygen, carbon dioxide enters their lungs where it slowly suffocates them. They become oxygen starved and each internal organ will shut down, first the lungs stop breathing, the heart stops pumping and the brain dies. This is not instantaneous. It can take as long as five minutes. Five minutes of fear, panic, pain, suffering and ultimately death.
That’s five minutes - 300 seconds. Try counting “one-Mississippi” three hundred times. That is a very lengthy time period to experience not just the emotions of knowing you are going to die but the physical process of bodily functions being shut down.
Does this sound like humane euthanasia to you?
Please call or email Township Manager, Jennifer Blumenthal and the Council Members along with Mayor Keenen and ask them NOT to kill Canadian geese in Mount Laurel. Many hunters have already made their desire known. Without your support geese will die soon in Mount Laurel. Please, contact them now! Blumenthal’s phone number is 856-234-0001 ext. 210.
- Mayor Keenan JimKeenan08054@gmail.com
- Jennifer Blumenthal, Township Manager manager@mountlaurel.com
- Councilwoman Tracy Riley CouncilRiley@aol.com
- Deputy Mayor McCaffrey CouncilmanMcCaffrey@mountlaurel.com
- Councilwoman Linda Bobo bobo.mountlaurel@gmail.com
- Councilman Chris Smith chrissmith.mtl@gmail.com
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Comments
Why do they euthanize dogs and cats but not geese?
Thanks for this article (as always, you do a great job of being a voice for the animals). I am a Mount Laurel resident and plan on contacting the township to let them know that I am opposed to them spending my tax dollars to inhumanely kill geese or any wildlife for that matter. Why do humans constantly interfere with nature? They'll spend $260,000 to kill geese but won't spend $35,000 to have a our garbage picked up twice a week in the hot summer months and allow trash cans to be infested continually with maggots..now there's a health hazard.
Gassing is an inhumane way to kill any animal, including people. I thought everyone has known that since, oh, 1945.
Sam, there aren't many ways to be humane about killing. Gas is definitely not one of those ways.
I own and operate a goose control firm that services Mount Laurel. www.geesemanagement.com . There are other ways to reduce the population on your property without killing them. We are a humane goose control firm not an elimination firm.
LET THE GEESE EAT THE GARBAGE ...
What if we killed the geese and fed them to the homeless? That would be like killing two bird with one stone, except for the part where we use birdshot and not stones, and not kill the homeless. But all in all, a convenient solution,non?
Or, what if we petition Blumenthal to allow unlimited geese hunting (goosing?). My land borders a creek where geese land all year. I'm in favor of allowing me to shoot anything that flies over (no different than mineral rights really), including Canadian geese that probably did not register with Homeland Security before they began their illegal flyovers. Remember, let the geese live, let the terrorists win.
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