CULLMAN, Ala. – Locals visiting Sportsman Lake Park on Wednesday and Thursday noticed that the large gaggle of Canadian geese that had covered parts of the lakeshore recently had largely vanished, leaving only a few stragglers and the regular ducks. According to Cullman County authorities, the number of geese had become a health hazard and were removed by staff from the Alabama office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
According to County Commission Chairman Jeff Clemons, the USDA surveyed the park over the last few months and determined that the geese were a hazard. As a result, state authorities removed and euthanized a large number of the birds.
Adult Canadian geese can produce a pound of droppings per day and increasing numbers of them have been causing problems across the state, leading to a series of removals and disposals by the USDA. In 2019, the most recent year for which records were available, over 1,400 Canadian geese were euthanized in Alabama.
Clemons told The Tribune, “For a while the commission has received complaints about the excessive goose poop, from residents and others visiting the park. We, county commission, had the State of Alabama USDA come in and do a survey a few months ago. It was concluded that there were multiple health violations due to the excessive amount of poop. On their advisement, the county turned over the removal to the state USDA as they are the only ones who can remove Canadian Geese.
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