Protesters seek to stop plan to cull hundreds of geese in Alabama

A homeowners association in Madison, Alabama, has incited protests and calls for humane wildlife management solutions after voting to kill off hundreds of local geese.Dozens of people gathered in the city’s Edgewater neighborhood to protest against the non-unanimous plan by the homeowners association (HOA) there to euthanize the Canada geese at Lady Ann Lake by fatally gassing them in a chamber. They called for more humane alternatives such as using horns to scare off the geese or relocating the birds.A neighborhood resident, David Field, also started an online petition on Change.org aimed at stopping the culling of the geese at the man-made, community lake.“Our family, like many others, moved here to enjoy not just the tranquil environment but to live alongside nature,” the petition states. “Tragically, the Edgewater HOA ruled to start capturing and slaughtering these innocent birds, a practice we find abhorrent and unnecessary.“This isn’t just about these birds; it’s about the ecosystem and the balance we disturb when we decide that we can control nature.”The president of the Edgewater HOA board, Brian Goodwin, told WAFF 48 in Alabama that 226 Canada geese currently reside at the lake – and he claimed that the birds had negatively affected or posed risks to the lake’s quality, public health, trails, common areas and resident safety.The HOA has reportedly told residents it plans to use carbon monoxide gassing to cull the flock. The method was previously used on geese in the neighborhood in 2020 before a new flock replaced the culled one.Canada geese are federally protected. But they can be culled legally with a permit from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).Board member Jack Hollum told WAFF 48 a subcontractor was hired to exterminate the geese by the USDA.“They shoot nets over the flocks of geese, capture as many as they can, they put them in a trailer, and gas them to death,” said Hollum, who was one of two board members to vote against the culling plan.“And geese can hold their breath for 45 minutes or so – so in doing that, it’s an agonizing death for them.”Edgewater resident Natalie Tidwell denied the geese were causing those problems in an interview with WAFF 48.“I’ve never had any issues with hostility or aggression,” she said. “We personally never got sick as kids rolling around in the dirt.“I can’t say that it’s a problem that warrants lethal measures, that’s for sure.”The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) strongly opposes the use of culling for managing geese, arguing it only provides a short-term reprieve.The Edgewater HOA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement shared with the local news outlet FOX54, the HOA defended the vote and decision to cull the geese.“For more than six years, our HOA has worked continuously to manage the growing population of resident Canada geese at our 140‑acre community lake. These geese are not migratory; they live here year‑round, and without natural predators their numbers have increased well beyond what the lake and surrounding environment stably support,” they said in the statement.The statement claimed the association had used and relied on non-lethal management. Those included cleaning feces, attempting to use predator deterrents, reducing grazing areas, and deploying goose-deterrent sprays.“After years of non‑lethal attempts that did not reduce the population, the HOA consulted with state wildlife officials and the [USDA]. Under federal guidelines, USDA Wildlife Services is authorized to assist communities when goose populations exceed sustainable levels and create documented public‑health and environmental impacts.”