YONKERS, N.Y. With what was described by county officials as an unhealthy amount of geese affecting the quality of life in the in the areas surrounding Sprain Lake, officials took matters into their own hands.
In the early morning hours of July 2, close to 500 Canadian geese were wrangled up by parks department employees in kayaks and removed from the lake to be euthanized.
Weve considered this before, said Peter Tartaglia, a parks department spokesman. In the past, we've tried other options, including oiling the eggs of the geese so that they cant hatch.
One of the areas most affected by geese is the Sprain Lake Golf Course where golfers spend their day interrupted by an abnormal amount of geese and playing through their feces.
Its about the sheer numbers, Tartaglia said These geese do not migrate, they stay here. They eat a lot of the plants in the area that grow food and each goose is responsible for over a half a pound of feces a day.
Normally, theres a lot of geese out there, said Gerry Doyle, 72, a Yonkers resident and avid golfer. I come here at least once a week to play and theyre all over the place. Its not really disruptive, but you have to play through their droppings.
Bill Blake, 70, also a Yonkers resident said the geese never were a hindrance, but he understands why they were removed.
I just hope that these geese died for a good reason and, if they were slaughtered, it should go to people that can use the food, Blake said.
On July 9, the Food Bank of Westchester was told by county officials to expect a large donation of frozen geese parts.
We certainly weren't complaining, said Jeanne Wilcox, a food bank spokeswoman. We are happy to receive any kind of food donation. There are over 2,000 people in the Westchester area who go hungry, so this will help our soup kitchens and food pantries around the county.
Wilcox added the food bank receives all kinds of fowl and venison from hunters all the time. While they never received geese before, shes interested to see how it goes over.
Its certainly more popular to eat geese in Europe, but if its prepared right Im sure it will be tasty, she said.
For more information on how you can help the Food Bank of Westchester, visit www.foodbankofwestchester.org.
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