46 Geese Euthanized At JCC Campus

For many years, Canada geese have been a familiar sight around the pond at Johnston Community College in Smithfield. Many of them are now gone.

At the request of Johnston Community College, the US Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Service responded to the campus on June 15th, capturing and killing 46 Canada geese. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a permit for the capture and removal.

Carrie Pitts-Densmore, the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing at Johnston Community College issued a statement saying, “The college has made efforts in the past to move the geese away from areas of campus where they were threatening to faculty, staff, students, and children at our Development Center. Those efforts have not been successful and several people have been attacked over the years. We recently contracted with the USDA to manage the geese population.”

“Forty-six geese were captured and removed to address damage caused by goose droppings and overgrazing of vegetation which is common in situations where local populations are overabundant. Previous work by the property owner/manager to address the damage using nonlethal damage management techniques had been unsuccessful,” according to Gail Kiern, Legislative and Public Affairs spokesperson for the USDA Natural Wildlife Research Center in Fort Collins, Colorado.

“This work was done at the request of the property owner/manager and under a permit provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The geese were euthanized and their carcasses donated to a local wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center to help feed captive animals,” Kiern said.

JCC officials said previous efforts to remove the geese from the campus and pond area haven’t worked and they were a continued threat to children and adults. They also said several people had been attacked by geese in recent years.

The geese, especially males, are known to attack humans if they get too close to their mates or eggs. They can also bite or strike someone with their wings.

Some people reached out to Johnston County Report wanting to know why the geese were not captured and relocated elsewhere, including the college-owned Howell Woods Learning Center outside of Four Oaks.

Kiern, the USDA spokesperson said, “The NC Wildlife Resources Commission does not allow for the relocation of Canada geese in the state.”

The Canada geese were euthanized using carbon dioxide gas through methods approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

35 COMMENTS

  1. Just like the leftist liberals the JCC just had to kill these geese for no reason. Yes I did read the article but it sure seems like a play from the democrat killing playbook

    • Seth, aren’t leftists very pro-green actions, pro-animal, and against the needless killing of animals? Hippies and such? This seems a lot more like something that someone who cares about lawsuits and money would do…

  2. Absolutely ridiculous!!! If it don’t fit your situation…just kill it! There was no need to kill these birds!!!

  3. Complete disregard for Gods creatures. Those geese sound like some areas where people in NC live when will we do the same thing there. When you over populate and destroy everything we have been given by nature where do you expect them to go? “I give man dominion over” – not “ I give man the right to destroy as he sees fit”

  4. Just wow. As stated, geese may attack to protect their nest or mate when they feel threatened, so what happened to just leaving them alone? It gets better. I was told one of JCC’s attempts at removing the geese were by using powerful blowers on them which can actually hurt them and the opposite of leaving them alone. Also, the attacks were a bit exaggerated and there truly was not a need to get rid of them. They came with the campus, but JCC turned to killing them versus trying everything first like closing the ponds. When are the people of JoCo going to have enough of the mess going on at this community college?? It is your taxpayer dollars paying for their President and Administration’s decisions. My children will not attend there.

  5. Such IDIOTS!!! Those geese could have gone to a rescue or moved to someone’s farm
    I have LOST ALL RESPECT for JCC !!!

  6. As a former student at JCC these birds have been a nuisance, anytime you walk on a campus and feel threatened by an animal and constantly have to watch your feet while walking because the ground is littered in feces it has become a problem. Should have been taken care of years ago, good job on eliminating the geese!

    • I really want to know more about the college teaching CRT. Any specific instructors or courses to be concerned about?

      They have truly been a mess these last 2 years with their budget, that instructor that posted their student on social media for the trump shirt he was wearing, significant increases in administration, and now the geese. Awful.

      • Exploration of race and it’s impact on societal norms is standard fare in all college-level classes for more than 40 years. Nothing new at all

  7. I was wondering if they had tried to reach out to farmers and others who might have wanted the geese.

  8. Wouldn’t it be Canadian Geese. Not Canada Geese? Just curious, I’m not an editor and I surely didn’t love English class. Either way poor geese. I’m sure they have a purpose and someone would have relocated them.

    • It is actually Canada…the only reason I know this is I was corrected in front of my daughter’s 4th grade class while on a field trip to a natural habitat…The tour guide called me out on it and boy did I feel dumb…that’s been many years ago and I have yet to call the geese Canadian ever again…lol. But yeah I would have gladly taken the geese and let them live around my pond. I do have two couples that come around in May to lay their eggs…but they soon leave after the babies hatch. So sad that JCC did this.

  9. I am very disappointed in JCC! Killing those geese was senseless! Y’all could have found an organization to relocate them, a zoo to take them, or reached out to the community to ask if anyone wanted them. It’s pathetic that you had someone come out and capture and kill them! Shame On you JCC and the USDA you showed no compassion or consideration for nature and wildlife! You should be ashamed of yourselves as educated people but reacting so foolishly!

  10. Why wouldn’t you allow goose hunters that would eat the meat to get rid of them? Some folks like eating goose and now the meat is wasted and the geese have to be disposed of. By the way, I don’t disagree with moving them but, that would turn into a nuisance for someone else. As for anyone who can’t defend themselves against a goose “attack”, I feel sorry for you.

  11. I worked at JCC there as a student from 1995_2012 Those geese were a constant source of aggravation and disruption. I’m not sorry to see them go.

  12. For all you people against the killing of these geese, you need to adopt a flock of geese and keep them at your property. Your mind will change very quickly. They become a huge nuisance very quickly. As far as relocating, they would be back over at the college before the one that captured them would be. Sad to see them killed but sometimes stuff like is neccesary.

  13. So if you caught and neutered them, the problem would have solved itself or if you destroyed the nest the birds would figure out it’s not a good pond to be near.

    • Well its official, my google search history now includes “Can you neuter a goose.” It “can” be done but is highly invasive and only done in extreme circumstances.
      #rememberthe46

  14. Wish they would have given them away while they were alive instead of turning them into animal food. One would feed me for a couple of days.

  15. i love how all these people are saying “sounds like liberals” when more than half of the republicans i know kill birds for “fun” smh

    • Agreed, i enjoy hunting, and this situation was handled correctly, the college has made many attempts to control the geese population

  16. Poor decision and waste of money. Killed 46 to see at least 10 geese on campus today or are they going to kill them, too? They are never going to 100% go away especially with the ponds open. Idiots. They are part of JCC…just leave them alone.

  17. If you kill a animal and its not for food ,or to protect ones life , or to be merciful to a injured animal ,then you have murdered. These geese are Federally protected but i guess there is a double standard in the law or is there a extermination clause, that states if the geese are caught guarding there nest. or protecting their spouse which they stay with for life then they can be killed. ALL LIFE IS A PRECIOUS GIFT, If the geese had a choice they would have chose to live. it is us that have destroyed ,altered and changed their habitat. All any creature wants is to live and propagate but there are some here that had rather kill than to protect and cherish life . Those that ordered and carried out this execution will sleep well knowing they have saved the world with their great deed of killing 46 innocent animals doing what GOD put them here to do. or will they.?

  18. Why is it not an option to relocate? Are they going to take our tax dollars, or kill someone if relocated? The truth is probably that they didn’t want to pick up the poop. Then you shouldn’t have built where they were already living. This is horrible. Can we euthanize people that get on hour nerves, too? No respect for life. God and or just decent human beings expects us to take care of the animals.

  19. As an alum of JCC. When these geese arrived in the late ‘80s. They were protected by the staff there. We complained about the geese chasing us in the parking lots and sidewalks. We were told to get over it. I am glad to see that the geese were at least used to feed other animals.

  20. As a former student, I am appalled by the disrespect and animal cruelty shown to the local geese that lived that JCC. 46 innocent geese were captured and euthanized because they defecated (like all animals do) on the ground. These geese could have been handled with more respect than killing them off because they were declared a “nuisance,”. This is cruel and inhuman treatment to God’s beautiful creatures. I am saddened and angered by this news and will not recommend JCC to anyone because of this news. They could have been relocated to a farm or rescue; simply killing them off because they are a nuisance is sickening. Shame on you JCC.

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