A flock of geese flies past the control tower at Washington Reagan National Airport.
An overburden of the fowl is causing quite a foul problem at New York City airports.
Sully would be pleased. After all, it was a flock of geese that forced him to skillfully land his US Airways jet in the Hudson River in 2009. Just after takeoff from LaGuardia, the plane he was piloting struck a flock of Canada geese, leading to a loss of engine power. With this testament to the danger of geese taking shelter near airports, New York City officials have hatched a unique plan to both get rid of the geese and solve hunger.
(VIDEO: Got Geese? Call the Geesebuster)
They’re helping the hungry, one pesky goose at a time. The city will pay for a company to round up geese that they deem to be dangerously close to jetways. After the birds are captured, they’ll be shipped off to Pennsylvania food banks to feed the hungry. New York chose Pennsylvania as the recipient of its slaughtered geese, according to the New York Times, because they already have a system in place for processing and distributing the meat.
“Rather than disposing of them in landfills, we wanted to make sure they do not go to waste,” New York’s Department of Environmental Protection spokesman said. The city garnered criticism last year for gassing geese and letting the carcasses rot in landfills, wasting tons of meat.
An adult goose can weigh up to 25 pounds and its meat is high in protein. But Canada geese aren’t widely known for their good taste, according to the Times. We can’t help wondering if this is a reward or punishment for the recipients.