|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Goose egg addling stirs concern in Reston
Goose egg addling has captured the attention of some Reston residents who are worried that the procedure is not being done humanely.
Addling is a term used for rubbing oil on eggs in an effort to keep them from hatching. It is widely done as a form of humane population control for resident Canada geese.
The oil blocks air from entering or exiting the egg, stopping development inside.
Dave Janiga of the Wildlife Rescue League said last week that he has fielded some phone calls from Reston residents who say they are concerned that the procedure is being done too late in the development cycle, and others who have witnessed Reston staff remove entire nests.
“My concern is that some people who live on Lake Audubon have seen nests that sit for long periods of time with eggs in them before they are attended to, and some told me they are seeing entire nests being removed by Reston Association staff. I am concerned that some of those eggs have developing geese in them and that they are removing the entire nests and destroying them from time to time,” he said.
Brian Petty, natural resource and watershed specialist with the Reston Association, said that he and his staff abide by the Canada Goose Egg Addling Protocol of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
That protocol says that the age of eggs can be tested by a “float test” that determines how much air is inside the egg as a result of natural development.
“In Canada geese, eggs that are less than 14 days old can be addled humanely. Beyond that time, and when the eggs first begin to float when placed in water, humane treatment of the developing embryo must be considered,” the protocol states.
“I carry around a bucket of water and we use the float test on every egg,” Petty said.
Petty also said that the Reston Association is registered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under a new federal program, called a depredation order, that allows landowners, public land managers and local governments to register online for federal authorization to destroy resident Canada geese nests and eggs on property under those jurisdictions.
“It is just your own conscience, sometimes, that makes you do the right thing,” Janiga said.
You must be logged in to post a comment.