Canada geese and greylag geese have adapted to urban park environments globally, creating human-wildlife conflicts that are often managed with cruel or ineffective methods.
Urban goose management welfare concerns are significant. Lethal roundups kill large numbers of birds using CO2 gassing — causing stress and death in animals that have peacefully coexisted with humans. Egg oiling — coating eggs with corn oil to prevent hatching — is more humane but requires returning each year as it does not address population drivers. Non-lethal habitat modification (removing grass from water edges, installing wire barriers, using border collies to haze) is both more humane and more durable in its effects. Geese that form bonds with specific park visitors or locations are socially complex animals whose welfare should be taken seriously.