Nearly 150 geese removed, ‘humanely euthanized’ from Ala. community

PIKE ROAD, Ala. (WSFA) - Where have the geese gone? That’s a question some in an east Montgomery community are asking. The answer? They didn’t fly away for the summer, unfortunately. Many were put down due to rising complaints from residents of The Waters.

Some residents of The Waters, a residential community in Pike Road, had voiced their complaints about the amount of geese feces they were finding. The feces from a large number of geese caused some health and safety concerns. In response, action was taken to curb the wild animals’ numbers at the community’s pond.

Jennifer Akridge, assembly manager for The Waters, confirmed the removal of some but not all of the Canada geese that are a familiar sight in the community. She said the removal took place earlier in the week.

Akridge released the following statement:

“The Waters Assembly received a large number of complaints from neighbors with concerns over health & safety issues with the amount of geese feces associated with having over 175 geese on The Waters property. The Waters Assembly contacted other homeowner’s associations across the city and they recommended we contact the wildlife experts with the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services department. Due to neighbors’ concerns, The Waters Assembly reached out to the USDA to obtain more insight on the health and the environmental issues associated with the large geese population at The Waters. The USDA confirmed that there are health issues related to having that many geese and feces on the property. Based on USDA APHIS Wildlife Services’ recommendation, The Waters Assembly asked the USDA to assist by removing the geese. From our understanding, not all geese were removed. For further information on the removal process, you can contact the USDA APHIS Wildlife Services department.”

WSFA 12 News reached out to the United States Department of Agriculture for comment on the removal and was told by Public Affairs Specialist Tanya Espinosa that USDA staff did remove 148 geese from the property and “humanely euthanized them.”

According to the USDA, Wildlife Services helps manage damage related to Canada geese. As part of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services’ mission is to safeguard agricultural and other resources and only responds to local requests for assistance. It follows the rules set by wildlife management agencies.

Espinosa said there are no plans to remove any more of the birds that remain at The Waters. She added that relocation of the geese, as opposed to euthanizing them, was not possible under Alabama law.

Due to privacy laws, the USDA says they are unable to identify specific communities in our area that have had them intervene with euthanasia. They did confirm they do work in other areas of the state.

The USDA says it is important to note that Alabama does not allow relocation of Canada Geese. We have reached out to other places in our area to see if they have utilized USDA services.