MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - The city of Muncie wants to relocate hundreds of Canada geese amid growing complaints about the birds becoming a nuisance in parks and along city trails.
Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler said the city will work with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to relocate geese from a city trail along the White River as well as two city parks.
He said Wednesday the city could relocate nearly 1,000 geese and “still have plenty” of the birds, which can damage grass, leave behind droppings on trails and riverbanks and attack or chase passing humans.
“We want to thin them out some. It’s hard for families to have picnics because of all the poop, for lack of a better word,” Tyler told The Star Press (https://tspne.ws/1LeSlna ).
He’s asked Muncie’s parks superintendent to determine the cost of obtaining cages that could be used to trap and move the geese elsewhere without harming the animals.
The DNR says Canada geese were rare in Indiana less than 40 years ago.
While the birds add a touch of nature to local parks, ponds and the White River’s banks, the creation of new permanent water bodies such as retention ponds for office or housing developments have allowed them to return to the same spots for nesting year after year.
Although there are federal regulations regarding migratory birds, the DNR issues permits for trapping and other goose population reduction efforts.
Muncie’s past geese-control efforts have included hunting geese, including a 2010 hunt at the city-owned park at Prairie Creek Reservoir.
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Information from: The Star Press, https://www.thestarpress.com
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