Councillors in Guelph voted Monday night to spend up to $50,000 to look at developing a goose management strategy.
Populations of Canada geese have grown steadily in the past few decades, and Guelph’s parks haven’t been immune to the boom.
Officials at City Hall say they’ve received a number of complaints about geese in recent years, particularly when it comes to defecating and aggressive birds.
“I think something should be done,” Coun. Cathy Downer said in an interview.
“I also think that we need the public to weigh in on this and tell us what they think about all the options out there.”
A report prepared for city council says that getting rid of geese is “a complex undertaking, due to the behaviour and adaptability of the geese.”
The $50,000 will go toward hiring a consultant who will look into the issue further. Any funds left over will be used for implementation.
“If we can look at a strategy to help with this situation, I think it’s a good thing to look at,” Mayor Cam Guthrie said in an interview.
The report also outlines a number of methods that could be used to reduce the city’s goose population.
Potential methods include less visible ideas like landscaping changes or scaring the birds with air horns, and more overt suggestions such as hunting or egg destruction.
Any of the more severe methods would require federal permits.
