‘Lethal removal’ option passes in Vancouver plan to manage Canada geese

The current population of resident geese in the city sits at about 2,200 but could climb as high as 10,000 by 2030.

The Vancouver Park Board passed a new Canada goose management plan which could include the “lethal removal” of hundreds of birds per year.

A staff report before the board Monday night says the current population of resident geese in the city sits at about 2,200, but with numbers increasing by about 18 per cent per year it could reach 10,000 by 2030.

The report notes an overpopulation of geese has caused problems with park and beach users, resulting in an uptick in calls to 311.

“Their primary impacts include damage to infrastructure and sensitive ecosystems like shorelines and native plantings, and high density fecal matter on beaches, pathways and grass, which impact the use and enjoyment of green spaces across the city,” the report states.

According to the report, current control methods — which focus primarily on egg addling, a process of swapping sterilized eggs into goose nests — have proven “insufficient” due to cost and because nests are often difficult to access.

“Additional recommended efforts include hazing, increased enforcement of the wildlife feeding bylaw, landscape modification, and reducing the population through removal,” the report states.

Park commissioners were presented with two options.

The first proposal, would’ve stabilized the population over a period of 15 to 20 years, includes addling eggs in an additional 700 nests per year, modifying park landscapes and coordinating strategic hazing, doing twice annual population monitoring and cracking down on wildlife feeding.