LANSING, Mich. – Some billboards stand out more than others, and one about killing geese is currently doing just that. It’s a message to the governor urging her to stop the gassing of Canada geese, and it comes ahead of a meeting this morning of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission (NRC).
“Don’t gas geese!” is the message catching drivers’ attention on billboards throughout the state, including one on I-96 West near the Wixom Road exit.
The group In Defense of Animals hopes the governor will see it and put a stop to the practice, as the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is removing Canada geese from local lakes, golf courses and other populated areas.
Larry Carsell and other animal advocates argue that the DNR’s new policy of rounding up the geese and killing them this way is not humane.
“They say it’s approved by veterinarians,” Carsell said. “That’s a cop-out. Geese can hold their breath for a long time. They go underwater for a long time. That carbon dioxide burns their throat and lungs, and they suffer for like a half an hour because they can hold their breath so much.”
Since 1972, the DNR had rounded up Canada geese and relocated them. However, starting last fall, that approach was deemed unfeasible.
“We had simply just kind of run out of places to put them where there were suitable habitats,” said Barbara Avers, a DNR waterfowl and wetlands specialist.
Avers will certainly hear opposition to the policy, and her rebuttal will likely include what she considers the biggest threat posed by Canada geese.
“But the biggest reason, and the most concerning, is that a few years ago, we had a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza that showed up in North America,” Avers said. “That was something that was circulating when that happened. We did cancel all of the relocation activity because we didn’t want to potentially be spreading that virus throughout the state.”
The NRC meeting happening on April 10, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. is at Lansing Community College.
