Despite False Promises, many New York City Geese Secretly Slaughtered in Recent Days

Young boy feeding and enjoying gentle goslings in Central Park.But in other parts of the city (including Jamaica Bay Wildlife "Refuge"), geese and their babies were secretly rounded up and sent to slaughter this summer.

Sometimes it seems (especially over the past year) that our country is choking on a consistent diet of dastardly lies and obfuscations.

Though most of the concealments and untruths concern matters outside our immediate backyards, they are nevertheless serious and rightly cause concern over the legitimacy of our Presidential elections -- something at the bedrock of American democracy.

But sometimes the deceptions, misrepresentations and evil doings hit much closer to home. --  Right up to the grasses and lakes of our local city parks, for example.

On June 15 of this year, I published a blog entitled, "New York City Geese and Their Babies Get a Reprieve this year."  The blog quoted and was based upon an article appearing in Crain's (a normally credible news source) that stated "no Canada geese were to be culled in NYC this year." The geese were in essence, getting a "reprieve."

 http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20170609/NEWS/170609861

According to the piece, New York City would be embarking on a non-lethal program for goose management in 2017 that would not involve the direct slaughter or gassing of adult birds. Instead, the plan was for "egg and nest destruction and harassment" (bad enough on their own).

The problem is, the premise of this article was entirely false.

Canada geese were in fact, rounded up and killed in New York City this summer.

But like the rest of deliberate concealments and obfuscations, we are not told exactly where these slaughters occurred or how many geese were "culled." (We apparently have to "wait" until the USDA WS writes up a report which could take months.) At this moment, USDA and other government officials only admit that goose cullings occurred in two areas recently  monitored by pedestrians:  Brookville Park (about 40 geese) and Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where apparently at least 50 geese were captured and sent to their deaths more than a week ago. 

The only reason we know of these specific targeted locations is due to the diligence and persistence of one gentleman who not only monitored the sites mentioned, but also hounded various officials for answers, including the director of NY state USDA Wildlife Services.  This person also contacted the reporter, Peter D'Amato, who wrote the misleading and inaccurate piece for Crain's to set the record straight. The reporter acknowledges geese were killed in NYC this year, but apparently feels no obligation to correct and clarify his errant article -- something credible news sources have duty and obligation to do.

Personally speaking, I (like many other weary New Yorkers) wanted desperately to believe the Crain's article when it came out which is why it was featured in this blog and posted on many Facebook and other social media sites by others. (At the same time, however, I remained somewhat skeptical as the article quoted no direct sources or individuals. I therefore was careful to daily monitor the roughly 50 geese and their babies who have stayed at Central Park during the molt. Thankfully all have remained unharmed to this day.)

It is absolutely reprehensible to lie to and mislead the public as Crain's New York is guilty of as well as the city itself.

While apparently true that New York City did not itself sign a goose killing contract with USDA Wildlife Services, it simply shifted the lethal contracting aspects to the Port Authority which is under no obligation to give Community Notifications of goose cullings to either the public or the media.

This is an extremely slick way of continuing goose killings every year in NYC while at the same time, maintaining that the city of New York "cares about and promotes peacefully living with and tolerating wildlife."  -- Something the deBlasio administration has been keen to claim and promote in city bus and subway ads.

Is there ever a day that goes by that we are not lied to by politicians and irresponsible media?

Barbarity and killing are no less dastardly and evil when glossed over with lies and obfuscations. In fact, one could argue they are worse.

As some have argued, "Worse than the crime itself, are the coverups."

Such once brought one President down and could soon take another.

All those officials and media lying to New Yorkers this year that "no goose cullings would occur" also need to be taken to task and ditched to the Unemployment lines.There needs to be serious consequences for lies and coverups.

People being lulled into false complacency is the death knell for geese and other wildlife everywhere. -- PCA

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