Canadian Geese face the chop at New York airports

by Stevie Smith - Jun 12 2009, 15:45

Regardless of impressive safety stats, boarding any form of aircraft carries with it some kind of associated risk. And, when it comes to the thousands of jetliners taking off from airports around the world, potential ‘bird strike’ is a serious problem that can bring planes plummeting to the ground.

New York looking to end the feathery threat of bird strike. Image: mikebaird/Flickr.

However, New York City authorities are preparing to alleviate that risk for both Kennedy and LaGuardia airports by using the summer months to hunt, trap and humanely kill as many as 2,000 of the 25,000 Canadian Geese thought to be located within the city.With January’s miraculous emergency landing in the Hudson River still fresh in the memories of U.S. aviation officials, it has been announced that dozens of city-owned properties located within five miles of the airports will be scoured and cleansed in order to protect departing aircraft.The Reuters news agency reports that, while authorities embark on a bird cull every year, the coming hunt will be significantly more expansive and will focus on removing potentially problematic geese during their moulting season, when they are unable to fly. Canadian Geese were blamed for the January bird strike that resulted in the amazing splash-landing of U.S. Airways flight 1549 (an Airbus), and have also been blamed for 77 other aviation incidents at New York City airports over the last 10 years.“The [January] incident served as a catalyst to strengthen our efforts in removing geese from and discouraging them from nesting on city property near our runways,” said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg regarding the hunt.Bird strike is the term used to describe the process whereby birds in flight pass before an aircraft during takeoff and are unwittingly sucked into one or more of its engine pods. This, as with flight 1549, often damages the engine(s) and causes the plane to abruptly lose power.The Tech Herald: 228 feared dead in Air France crash Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group.

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Mary EllenJun 12th, 2009 - 18:27:57

what next..seagulls...pigeons...do they not have the right to fly also?

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RyanJun 12th, 2009 - 18:41:20

This is awful. Just kill all the animals in our way until they are all dead. how dare they get in our airspace? I can see that reason no longer matters.

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Benz TunhieterJun 12th, 2009 - 18:55:23

I believe they are members of the species called 'Canada Goose', not Canadian Geese (who wouldn't be allowed to cross the border without a passport under the new regulations, I'm sure).

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have to kill?Jun 12th, 2009 - 19:29:22

Do we have to kill them to get rid of them around city area?

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horrifiedJun 12th, 2009 - 20:04:59

why not spend money to engineer ways to avoid engine failure if a strike occurs instead of murder.

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Duncan McKenzieJun 12th, 2009 - 20:24:52

They're not 'Canadian Geese' but 'Canada Geese'. In this case, their nationality is American.

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snerkyJun 12th, 2009 - 21:10:45

Yep, 'Canada Goose' 'Canada Geese'. They do not have citizenship.

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Mike in CanadaJun 12th, 2009 - 22:13:24

Just an FYI, in parts of Canada there are actual plans to catch Canadian Geese (by the thousands) where the population has become a nuisance, and FEED them to the poor. =P

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adrianJun 12th, 2009 - 22:37:49

kill them all, then NY will become like in the Bee Movie...dry and deserted

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Father GooseJun 14th, 2009 - 11:49:41

Apparantly, geese are the only birds in the area? Typical response. A freak accident so let's kill them all. This is called the sledgehammer approach. PETA where are you?

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Canadian Geese face the chop at New York airports

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