The city of Madison did NOT kill any Canada geese this year – nor do they plan to!
We are thrilled to announce that the city of Madison did NOT kill any
Canada geese this year – nor do they plan to! The City of Madison Parks
Division has made a huge effort to implement humane methods this past year.
Because of this, countless lives were saved.
As many of you know, last year Madison Parks killed 127 geese at Vilas Park
for being geese. The Alliance for Animals has been urging them to use the
many other humane alternatives to killing – and they did! The “problem” is
that the geese will always find these open areas near water attractive just
as humans do. Killing isn’t the solution because others just take their
place. Ultimately the thing that will really work is habitat modification.
We know that Madison Parks has successfully used this method in some areas
and the Alliance is on board to help them any time they are able to start
modifying more of the landscapes.
This year Madison Parks addled more eggs and started a new volunteer
program asking people to count and haze geese at all of the parks. Hazing
might sound like something a college fraternity might do, but in this case
all it means is clapping your hands and walking towards them to indicate
they aren’t welcome. These methods might sound somewhat cruel, but they are
extremely kind in comparison to the alternative. Here is an article the
Isthmus put out recently about Madison Parks efforts and volunteering.
Thank you to the many concerned Canada geese advocates who wrote letters,
made phone calls, volunteered with hazing the geese, and even picked up
goose poop. As the saying goes, it takes a village. A big thank you to AFA’s
own Mary Telfer, who worked her heart out advocating for the geese, while
remaining professional and respectful to all parties involved.
We congratulate Madison Parks for gathering volunteers and trying some new
humane ways of managing the geese in Madison.
Please take a minute to thank them for their more compassionate choice.
Eric Knepp
Superintendent of the Madison Parks Division
[email protected]
Paul Quinlan
Conservation Resources Supervisor
[email protected]
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