A comprehensive Prospect Park program to humanely address the Canada geese population in the Brooklyn park is garnering praise from leading national and local wildlife advocates, including The Humane Society of the United States and New York City Audubon. The program is currently underway, prompted by last year’s slaughter of 400 resident Canada geese in Prospect Park and more than a thousand citywide by the USDA under contract with the City of New York.
The Prospect Park Canada goose management program is making the park less attractive to geese by discouraging the public from feeding the wildlife, modifying habitats, and using trained herding dogs to urge geese to move out of the park. Additional components of the program include treating eggs to prevent population growth through humane protocols and training by The HSUS, and ongoing research and monitoring to assess and refine techniques for effectiveness.
“The Prospect Park program encapsulates a more modern, humane and long-term solution to wildlife management,” says Patrick Kwan, New York state director for The HSUS. “The Humane Society of the United States thanks the staff and leadership of Prospect Park and Prospect Park Alliance for implementing an effective program that will help protect the geese from indiscriminate slaughter.”
“The only way to effectively manage wildlife-human conflicts is through long-term and thoughtful management programs like this one in Prospect Park,” says Glenn Phillips, executive director of New York City Audubon. “NYC Audubon applauds the Prospect Park Alliance for developing a comprehensive program that addresses the causes of over-population rather than the effects.”
Comprehensive programs like Prospect Park’s are working in many communities where wild geese and people share public spaces. Resources and information on trainings to implement humane wildlife management programs are available at humanesociety.org/wildneighbors
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