Problem Geese Removed

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NITRO, W.Va. (AP)
Posted: 2:17 PM Jul 11, 2007
Last Updated: 2:17 PM Jul 11, 2007

12 comments

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Officials say most of the noisy, dirty Canada geese at Nitro's Ridenour Lake have been captured and killed.

Mayor Rusty Casto says it cost the city $3,600 to get rid of the birds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture removed about 100 or so geese from the lake late last month after area residents starting complaining that the birds posed a health hazard. Casto says that in addition to the risk of diseases being spread by the birds, the geese were frightening to children.

Casto says the geese were placed in boxes and deprived of oxygen, which is a common method for exterminating them.

The mayor says that while not everyone may be happy with the city's decision to have the birds killed, more residents are glad the nuisance situation was taken care of.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Kathy Location: Ohio on Jun 18, 2008 at 10:37 AM
This is absolutely disgusting. Suffocating is one of the most horrific ways to die. What an idiot. Karma has a way of cathing up with people. I hope he is plagued many times over for this.

Posted by: Randall Location: KY on Feb 23, 2008 at 09:25 AM
Just what West Virginia needs. More negative reputation! This is inhumane. These people need to realize that we are not the only ones living on this planet and we need to have respect for all living creatures. Geese frightening children? What a pathetic excuse. Parents need to be watching their children and making sure the children are not annoying the geese. Children need to be brought up to respect the animals around them. If ignorance is truly bliss, I'm sure the Mayor is very happy.

Posted by: tonya Location: chas on Jan 31, 2008 at 07:31 AM
THE KARMA TRAIN HAS HIT RUSTY CASTO AND HIS ADMINISTRATION IN NITRO. THEY ARE CRUMBLING AS WE SPEAK. CURSE OF THE GEESE!

Posted by: Frank Location: Cross Lanes on Nov 1, 2007 at 01:17 PM
You probably won't post this but; You had difficulty walking anywhere around the park without stepping in places previously visited by the multitude of geese...and I'm not talking about webbed foot prints. It was either the geese or the people and with city coffers as they are the people can pay taxes but the geese were on welfare.

Posted by: Roland Cook Jr. Location: Nitro on Sep 28, 2007 at 11:08 AM
Like most folks, I can't call suffocation humane. But I must play both sides of this issue. That geese poop was everywhere. Mowing through it scatters germs at the speed of a weed whacker or lawn mower blade. I think our Mayor had to make one of those no win choices. I don't suppose there's really any humane way to kill anything. But then again, I sure don't have any problem enjoying Kentucky Fried Chicken, bacon, pork chops, hamburger, etc. I think Mayor Casto had the health and well being of our Citizens in mind. After much thought, I reluctantly supported the extermination.

Posted by: Diane on Aug 15, 2007 at 04:18 PM
Deprived of oxygen. Unreal. What a sad, sad situation this is. This is beyond belief. Suffocation!!! What diseases Rusy Casto. Tell us what diseases they cause? Are you as informed about this as much as you are about suffocation being humane? Do let us know.

Posted by: Amber Location: West Virginia on Aug 8, 2007 at 04:54 PM
I'm a resident of Nitro and first of all, when I was little my father and I used to go to that park and spend a few hours feeding those supposedly 'dirty' animals. One of the few pastimes we had until the law went up about feeding being illegal. That was the first thing he took away.
And the next is killing them. I guarantee you; I certainly didn't say that suffocating them was alright, no matter how darn humane it is. Those animals are a sign of clean waters and healthy land.
Rusty Casto has seriously been mistaken and clearly doesn't know what the heck he's doing.

Posted by: Lee Location: Nitro on Aug 8, 2007 at 08:13 AM
Shame on you, Rusty Casto. Fifteen years ago, this part of WV was so dirty and the water so polluted we never had any kind of water fowl except ducks. Now we have geese which stop on their migrations to sample WV clean waterways. You kill them, what else will you kill. 3,000 of my tax dollar went to kill lovely birds, I don't appreciate that.

Posted by: citizen of nitro Location: nitro on Aug 7, 2007 at 09:02 PM
I live in Nitro and I promise you our mayor is an idiot. They don't even keep that park clean. The only wonderful thing about it is seeing the ducks and geese. The play ground equipment I bet doesn't even meet code. It's rusted, the wood surrounding it is broken, there is no mulch or protection on the ground. These animals have been there forever and will come back. Will he kill them? There is a little island in the middle. They mainly stay there. They come back year after year and breed. As a little girl, I often found eggs under the pine trees. I am disgusted with the mayor. Not many people like him here. This isn't the first time he's done something like this.

Posted by: Debbie Location: California on Jul 20, 2007 at 12:17 AM
As a person with long time ties to West Virginia, I was appalled to read this article. So the message children will learn is if an animal scares you by its being- its ok to suffocate and kill it? I think either the geese should have been moved to a more rural area and/or used the wonderful opportunity to educate people about the wonderful traits of these birds. They mate for life, and the way that there is always a sentry watching out for their flock. Traits we humans, especially children could learn from- and look beyond the poop. I found the post stating that there is no risk of disease from this an important aspect of this as well. I'm very disappointed.... Such cruelty and casualness to wild life deaths is not far from the Falcon's pitt bull tragedies. And of course, not far from those who carelessly allow their pets to breed, and mistreat their pets and farm animals. I'll be moving back to West Virginia soon. I hope there is more publicity about this dark day in Nitro.

Posted by: Matthew Location: Parkersburg WV on Jul 17, 2007 at 07:46 PM
I would like to say that the mayor of nitro is heartless and has no thought or care of wildlife. It really ticked me off when I read the artical about the geese. and I also like to say that Im ashamed to say Im from west virginia because of this not only do i hold the mayor responsible but every person in nitro that was the cause of the geeses death. you can post this or not I dont care who gets mad about this

Posted by: Choo Location: Canada on Jul 11, 2007 at 11:23 PM
I was filled with sadness to read this article. It speaks very badly for the mayor and residents of the city of Nitro, West Virginia. The geese were not a problem. The problem is the mayor and the residents who complained about the geese. There is absolutely no documented case of geese causing disease to humans. Dr. Milton Friend, former director, Wildlife Research Center Water Fowl Disease U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is adamant: "On occasion we have been wading in that stuff [feces], dead birds up to our elbows... there is not a single, documented case of any of us coming down with any kind of a disease problem as a result of Canada geese... we do not have a human health situation, not in the urban goose, not in the wild goose, not in the captive geese that we have also worked with. We do have a lot of diseases out there that can affect people. Most of them come from different places and do not come from the Canada goose and I'll leave you with that." To deprive the geese of oxygen, therefore suffocating them, is the epitome of animal cruelty. Mahatma Gandhi said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Your barbaric actions show the world that your city is made up of depraved individuals who will cause animals great suffering just because they perform a necessary bodily function. The city of Nitro will be placed on the Canada Goose Hall of Shame.