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As sure as the sun rises and sets each day, USDA Wildlife Services arrives in New York City each June to stalk, target and send to slaughter, hundreds of city park Canada geese.
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The helpless, flightless geese are an easy "cash cow" for the controversial wildlife killing agency that has been exposed and criticized by The New York Times, The Washington Post, numerous animal advocacy organizations including the Humane Society of the United States and some politicians.
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Nevertheless, the slaughters continue.
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This morning (June 27th), WS trucks and staffers arrived in the pre-dawn hour to Brookville Park in Queens to round up and send to their deaths, 50 Canada geese:
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Brookville is a favorite target for WS, because it is quiet with few people around in the early hours to observe the clandestine activities. And the layout is conducive to easy corralling of the geese on grass with nearby roads to bring in the SUV's to transport the terrified geese to a slaughterhouse upstate.
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It is an easy routine that WS has down pat and repeats every year, as it does in other NYC parks such as Inwood Hills Park, Alley Pond Park, Van Courtlandt Park, Jamaica Bay Wildlife "Refuge" and others.
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I personally refuse to waste time or space providing the excuses and rationalizations for such yearly carnage.
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These hideous and cruel massacres are done for one reason and one reason only:
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Because they can and it is easy money to do so.
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Many people financially benefit from the annual goose slaughters in New York City and elsewhere around the country. From those involved in goose killing contracts and plans, to those who supply equipment to round up, corral and crate the geese, to those doing the scouting reports, to those doing actual roundups, to drivers to the ones who actually slaughter the geese and their goslings.
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There is no incentive for such people to change their ways and on the contrary, they will fight and come up with every conceivable lie and excuse to keep such easy, cushy jobs. They tell themselves, the politicians, the media and the public that the geese are a "nuisance," or that they "break bones" or that they "take down airliners."
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But, it is all rationalization for doing something that is wrong on every level -- conducting a war on innocent wildlife for the soul purpose of making money.
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It is only when there is vigorous and consistent public protest that this carnage can finally end one day.
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But I personally fear that most of the geese -- as so much of the world's other wildlife -- will be gone by that time.
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Whether the issue be climate change, extinction of species or other nefarious human actions resulting in catastrophic change, we as a species are so much better at 20/20 hindsight than recognizing and taking action in the necessary moment.
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Rest in peace sweet geese. Sorry that we have once again, failed you. -- PCA
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