Activists attempt to frighten fowl

Wednesday, September 03, 2003

By Rebekah Scott, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Gunshots blazed bright at dawn's first light, and a gaggle of Canada geese -- no one is sure just how many -- fell dead yesterday at five Westmoreland County parks.

	A hunter leaves the North Picnic Area of Twin Lakes Park after taking part in an early morning hunt of geese in the county park. The hunt continues this morning and tomorrow morning. (John Beale, Post-Gazette)

At Twin Lakes Park, animal-rights protesters scared many birds away with air horns and shouts before hunters could take aim. About 15 of the 20 specially permitted hunters rounded up four protesters, who were cited for trespassing and sent home by 7 a.m. By the time hunting ended at 9 a.m., 25 of the Twin Lakes geese were dead.

At Northmoreland Park, shooters bagged seven geese. Each licensed hunter can legally bag five geese per day. Hunts were also planned at Chestnut Ridge Park, Bridgeport Dam Park and Mammoth Park.

With or without activists, the annual Westmoreland County Parks goose hunt will continue from daybreak to 9 a.m. today and tomorrow and again Sept. 16, 17, and 18.

The geese have to go, said County Parks Maintenance Coordinator Adrian Horvath. "They are nuisance animals," he said. "We can't control their populations, and their droppings are fouling the water and walkways. It's a problem statewide, and I think most people understand why we've opened up the parks for hunts."

The worst is Twin Lakes, he said. Up to 140 birds inhabit a 20-acre lake that straddles the Unity-Hempfield border northeast of Greensburg.

"There aren't many natural predators there, and there's plenty of food, so they stay around all year long. One pair of geese can produce five to 12 goslings each year, so it doesn't take them long to overrun a place. We've tried many techniques to get rid of them, but nothing seems to work."

They've sprayed the lakesides with sour grape juice, but that only lasts till the next rain.

They've chased the geese with specially trained border collie dogs, but the park is too large, and the collies get worn out. Besides, people get upset seeing dogs chase the fowl, Horvath said.

Until two years ago, wildlife officers sought out goose nests and "addled" each egg so it wouldn't hatch. But the geese just built nests outside the park boundaries and brought their babies back to raise.

"We shot blanks at them till they got used to that. We planted special grass and special shrubs. We added bacteria to the water, we put in fountains to aerate it, because all their poo is making the lakes into big old sewage treatment plants. You name it, we've tried it," Horvath sighed.

Nonsense, said protester Peter McKosky, a Belle Vernon native and member of Voices For Animal Liberation. He said Horvath and his crew are not enforcing a ban on animal feeding at the parks, and are standing by while animal lovers fatten and tame the geese into easy targets for a bloodthirsty hunting minority.

"There were more hunters than there were geese," he said of the Twin Lakes hunt he interrupted. "When we scared [geese] away, these guys were upset with us. First, they threatened to throw me in the water. And when we walked away toward the park entrance, they told us to stop, that they were police officers. One had a badge, but he wouldn't tell me which department, or what his name was. They got hold of a park policeman, and he wrote the tickets and kicked us out."

Police cited McKosky and Justin Young, both 20, and two juveniles, 17-year-old women from nearby towns, he said. Outside the park, other activists from OohMahNee Farm Animal Sanctuary stuck to more conventional forms of protest. Westmoreland County Humane Officer Cayce Mell said she was on hand to ensure that injured animals would be taken to a veterinarian.

She said the county Parks Department is violating Title 34 of the state Game and Wildlife Code, which forbids baiting wild animals for hunting later.

"The law says if you feed wild animals, you must stop at least 30 days before you intend to hunt them. These geese are welcomed at the park all year long, and people come out here specifically to feed them and the ducks," she said. "They're like pets. These geese will eat out of your hands. It's not allowed, really -- you're not supposed to feed the wildlife. But we have videotape of people doing that, with a park officer standing in the background watching. There's no enforcement.

"So you have a big flock of basically tame, trusting geese. And then for a few days per year you just open fire on them. It's like shooting fish in a barrel. And it's called 'sport.' "

Mell can write citations and arrest suspects for animal cruelty, but she cannot enforce fish and wildlife laws, she said. Pittsburgh lawyer Annabell Kinney has agreed to pursue a case against the Parks Department, she said, but Mell had no further details on possible legal action.

"All the rest of the year the people are enjoying these geese," McKosky said, "and a couple of weeks per year they basically open the park to people whose idea of recreation is causing death and suffering to living creatures, for frivolous reasons. I'm willing to bet more people enjoy these birds alive than enjoy killing them."

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