Michigan To Cull Geese Flock

They’re lovely to look at, but any golfer in Michigan knows that Canada Geese actually are a major course menace. The sky rats descend upon our courses, parks and lawns in vast numbers, leaving behind mountains of excrement and aggressively going after children and golfers alike.

(BTW, it’s Canada Geese, not Canadian Geese)

I’ve always wondered why they were a protected species, since they seem more common than pigeons and sea gulls. And it turns out I was right about their numbers. The DNR says that in the past four decades, the number of geese has grown from 9,000 to more than 200,000.

COurses that I know have tried a variety of ways to discourage the birds, including setting dogs loose to chase them off. And there apparently have been efforts to capture and relocate the geese. But now the DNR is planning on reducing the population by killing excess birds. The harvested geese will be distributed to various soup kitchens.

Any environmentalist who objects can do the right thing and volunteer their home as a location for displaced geese.