NORFOLK — Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, killing Canada geese is an offense punishable by fines or jail time.
Except for when it’s not.
On Tuesday afternoon, a goose that had been shot by an arrow was rescued from Little Creek Channel in Norfolk. Despite the efforts of veterinarians at the Virginia Beach SPCA, the goose was euthanized on Wednesday evening.
In a news release, Norfolk police asked for information about the person responsible for shooting the goose and reminded residents that the killing of Canada geese and other migratory birds was a federal offense.
For a list of protected birds, click here.
In July, more than 100 geese were rounded up in a Virginia Beach neighborhood by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and killed because of damages to residential lawns, decks and drinking water.
Since publishing the story Wednesday about the wounded goose in Norfolk, readers have asked Southside Daily what the difference between the two was. In short, it comes down to permits.
“In situations where there’s some type of conflict where it’s damage to agriculture or property or human safety, citizens can obtain a migratory bird depredation permit,” Scott Barras, state director of the USDA’s Wildlife Services program, said.
Each permit has property-specific conditions about how and when it will be executed. Barras said there are a lot of different techniques to resolve conflicts between human and wildlife.
“A lot of them are non-lethal techniques that could — and should — be used before embarking on these types of lethal approaches,” he said.
A lethal approach was used in the Kings Grant neighborhood of Virginia Beach after residents in the community petitioned to have the birds removed from the area.
https://wydaily.com/2017/07/15/crowd-protests-euthanization-of-more-than-100-geese-in-virginia-beach-neighborhood/
After the Kings Grant geese were euthanized, a group protested the decision during a July 15 march.
“They did not exhaust and put all steps in play, and they never even reached out the people who deal with them the most — the rehabbers,” Rose Chandler, an organizer of the march and volunteer with the Virginia Beach SPCA, said. “We just want them to know that even though they were just geese that we care about the geese, and since they have no voice we will be their voice today and we want them to know that there are steps that they can take.”
Barras says that doesn’t mean all non-deadly techniques were tried first. He didn’t comment on Kings Grant specifically but said, depending on the situation, some non-lethal solutions aren’t feasible.
“One of the best tools for dispersing geese and many other types of wildlife is pyrotechnics,” he said. “So there may be situations because of certain fire hazards or the ability to possess those types of tools might not be permitted.”
Another approach is allowing grass and vegetation to grow taller, which obstructs a goose’s vision and makes it uncomfortable, but, again, not always possible.
Dogs, Barras said, are another common solution to a geese problem. Allowing your dog to harass or chase geese away is OK, but encouraging it to kill them is just as illegal as shooting it with an arrow.
Geese aren’t the only birds protected. Most birds are protected in Virginia with some exceptions, including pigeons and European starlings.
“It’s safe to assume that everything native to Virginia is protected by federal or state law,” Barras said.
Hunters, however, can shoot Canada geese and other protected birds during hunting season in areas where hunting is legal with proper licenses and weapons.
Police in Norfolk are looking for the person responsible for killing the goose. If you have any information, please call the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP.
If you are having issues with wildlife where you live, call the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries toll-free wildlife conflict helpline at 1-855-571-9003.
Southside Daily archives were used in this story.
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