DALLAS, N.C. (AP) -- Dozens of people have gathered in a Gaston County park for a memorial service for 144 Canadian geese that were euthanized by county workers worried they had become a health hazard.
The service Friday night included songs, 144 fresh-cut daisies and carnations. Several people at the service discussed putting together a rescue group for geese. Several people wished the county had done something different.
The geese lived in Gaston County Park in Dallas for a decade, but county officials said the flock had grown so large that their droppings were a health hazard. So workers gathered up the birds last month and euthanized them with poison gas.
It wasn't unusual. In 2012, federal officials issued euthanasia permits for nearly 25,000 Canada geese in 46 states.
Photo Credit: Frank Rumpenhorst
The service Friday night included songs, 144 fresh-cut daisies and carnations. Several people at the service discussed putting together a rescue group for geese. Several people wished the county had done something different.
The geese lived in Gaston County Park in Dallas for a decade, but county officials said the flock had grown so large that their droppings were a health hazard. So workers gathered up the birds last month and euthanized them with poison gas.
It wasn't unusual. In 2012, federal officials issued euthanasia permits for nearly 25,000 Canada geese in 46 states.
Photo Credit: Frank Rumpenhorst