Fox News Flash top headlines for July 3
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Some Colorado residents are protesting the killing of Canada geese at city parks and are planning a rally to combat the program, which Denver leaders say is designed to manage the growing goose population there.
A Facebook page has been created protesting the killings, which includes the culling of about 300 Canada geese at Denver’s City Park, according to FOX31. A rally is scheduled for Saturday morning at Washington Park in Denver and a petition has been created to stop the culling of the geese, according to the “Canada Geese Protection Denver” page.
For several years, Denver Parks and Recreation reportedly struggled to manage the growing goose population and Wildlife officials said excessive bird waste is one reason for the removal.
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Denver Parks and Recreation did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment, but the Facebook Page for Lara Bancroft, a member of the protest group, posted a letter she says she received from Denver Parks and Recreation responding to her concerns.
"The growing resident Canada goose population in Denver Parks has caused several park management issues including: overgrazing of vegetation; accumulation of droppings and sanitation concerns; increased human-wildlife conflicts; and the fouling of lawns and park lakes,” the letter stated, adding, for more than 15 years, Denver Parks and Recreation “tried to keep resident goose populations in parks at appropriate levels by implementing various management tactics including egg oiling, hazing and eco-friendly wildlife repellents.”
But those efforts were unsuccessful, according to the letter, and “resident populations continue to grow” which “causes increased human-wildlife conflict, vegetation destruction, sanitation concerns, poor water quality, and other maintenance challenges for the Department.”
After trying those tactics to curb the geese population, Denver Parks and Recreation reportedly decided to seek help from the United States Department of Agriculture to catch the geese and ship them off to be "processed."
The deputy executive director of Denver Parks and Recreation, Scott Gilmore, who estimates about 5,000 geese have set up permanent residence in the city, told FOX31 the geese “are getting processed, and they're getting donated to needy families.”
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"The geese populations within the city have just exploded," he said. "We get so many complaints about people coming out here [Denver parks] with a blanket to sit on the grass, and they cannot sit on the grass because there's so much goose poop in the parks."
The culling of the birds began in June, and some residents expressed concerns over the safety of eating the goose meat, posting those concerns on the Canada goose group's Facebook page.
In the letter sent to Bancroft, Denver Parks and Recreation noted the worries about "processing:" “You mentioned a concern that the geese may be used to feed people and the department will refer to the United States Department of Agriculture to determine whether meat is suitable for human consumption and will be donated to charitable organizations and wildlife rehabilitation facilities.”
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The United States Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment but FOX31 posted a statement from the department.
"The resident goose population in this area is too large, which will cause many problems," the statement said, "including overgrazing of grass, ornamental plants and agricultural crops; accumulation of droppings and feathers; disease, attacks on humans by aggressive birds; and the fouling of reservoirs, swimming areas, docks, lawns, and recreational areas."
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