Advocates, Scarsdale Officials Continue To Talk Geese

The Canada Geese here in Scarsdale are keeping the debate between village officials and animal advocates alive.

After word spread about the village's plan to kill the geese by the pond near the Scarsdale Library, residents, animal advocates and community members spoke out against the plan at a recent village meeting.

This week, Village Manager Alfred Gatta told Scarsdale Patch that "No final decision (has been made) yet, but we are again looking at alternatives with the hope that if we go in that direction there will be more success than the last time."

The village had previously used no-kill measures, including a border collie and noisemakers to handle the geese population and droppings by the pond, with no success.

Edita Birnkrant, NY Director of Friends of Animals, an international animal advocacy organization, said the group received "many calls and emails from upset and concerned Scarsdale residents over the town officials’ plans to roundup and slaughter the geese at the pond behind the library."

Birnkrant said she urged Gatta and Jason Marra, Asst. Superintendent of Recreation, "to adopt the non-violent, proven strategies such as habitat and landscape modification at the pond and surrounding area, in addition to adopting policies and strategies to simply clean up goose droppings and foster tolerant attitudes towards geese and wildlife."

Stay tuned to Patch for more updates to this story.

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