Despite enormous public opposition, I just learned that the city of Vadnais Heights, Minn., is proceeding with plans to round up and slaughter dozens of Canada geese living in a city park. PETA and wildlife reserves has written to Susan Banovetz, the mayor of Vadnais Heights, and left numerous messages asking the city to accept PETA\'s offer to develop a more effective, humane Canada goose-control program free of charge. Unfortunately, our attempts to persuade the mayor and the city to go the humane route have been met with silence. Removing some birds without altering the habitat is a short-term solution to any perceived problem with waterfowl in Vadnais Heights. As long as these areas remain attractive or accessible, more geese will simply move in from surrounding areas to fill the newly vacant niches, resulting in a perpetual round-up-and-kill cycle. Humane alternatives such as modified landscapes, trained dogs, oiling eggs, and repellents will resolve problems, stabilize flock size, and restore peace between geese and people in Vadnais Heights.

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