Animal advocates outraged over killing of 144 Gaston Co. geese

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — Gaston County has received complaints from as far as Seattle just 48 hours after euthanizing nearly 150 Canadian geese that roamed a local park.

Many are calling the action inhumane.

Leaders will discuss cutting the county's animal control budget Monday, which many worry could lead to more euthanizations.

Members of the Animal League already planned to attend the budget meeting to voice their concerns over the shrinking of the Animal Control budget.

But they are now outraged that 144 geese were put to sleep because the county considered them a nuisance.

Channel 9 found some ducks at the park in Dallas Thursday.  A few stray feathers are the only thing that remains from the geese that were rounded up.

Gaston County Parks and Recreation staff said the birds crowded the park and left waste everywhere.

"I think it is outrageous," said Animal League representative Terry Kenny.

Kenny said she didn't believe it when she first heard about the euthanization.

"I was mortified when I read this morning that it did happen," Kenny said.

She and other animal advocates plan to tell commissioners Thursday night they need to take steps to make sure this never happens again.

Kenny believes more geese will come to live at the park.

"So what are we going to do, just continually euthanize animals because we don't like wildlife being in the wild?" Kenny said.

News about the geese sparked national outrage.

Gaston County Commissioner Chad Brown said he got emails and calls from people as far away and Seattle.

Brown said Parks and Recreation workers did all they could to get rid of the geese before turning to a fatal resolution.

Parks workers told Channel 9 they let the grass grow tall, put up fences and brought in dogs to scare the geese, but nothing worked.

So this week, the geese were rounded up while they were shedding feathers and couldn't fly away.

Officials said they tried to get a rescue group to take the geese, but they couldn't take them all.

The Animal League said county officials could have done more to save the birds.

They want commissioners to create a policy that will do a better job of protecting the lives of animals in situations like this.

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