Spring Brings New Calls For Geese Control

INDIANAPOLIS -- The recent warm weather is bringing new calls for controlling the Canadian geese population in central Indiana.

Area lakes and ponds are prime targets for the birds as they look for a place to nest. But they also bring quite a mess and the potential for disease, 6News' Stacia Matthews reported.

"E. coli, salmonella and listeria have been found in Canadian geese droppings," said Shannon Wink with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Wink said people who feed the birds only make matters worse.

"That adds to their aggressive nature during breeding season, when they are already aggressive trying to protect their nest," she said. "They don't fear people, and that makes them more apt to go after somebody."

By the time the geese stop breeding for the year, state wildlife officials estimate there will another 100,000 of the birds in central Indiana.

Wink told a group of managers and business owners on Wednesday that there are legal and effective ways to control the goose population.

Besides hunting, she recommended dogs, which act as a natural predator, or laser lights. Planting trees, grass and shrubs at least two feet high can also help keep geese at bay.

"(You can) oil the eggs, puncture the eggs or shake them for 60 seconds and put them back into the nest. The female will continue sitting on them, but they won't hatch," Wink said.

A permit is required to destroy geese nests and eggs. It can be obtained for free on the DNR's Web site.