The killings began Monday and continued Wednesday…
Government goose hunters were on the prowl for the plane-threatening birds at Randalls Island this morning, where they rounded up about 40 Canada geese. And then it was off to a gas chamber for the captured geese… Mayor Bloomerg’s brilliant attempt at warding off anymore airplanes from landing in the Hudson River.
Such a disturbing photo.
The killings are stupid and troubling and I am haunted by the photo of the USDA workers corraling the geese into crates. Even they look troubled by what they are doing, like cogs just plugging away at the system.
The New York Post wrote, “like lambs being led to slaughter, the geese went quietly — though they were flapping and a bit jumpy, they made only a little noise.”
Whether it is true or not – that the geese went quietly – it brought to mind Nicholas Kristof’s
painful but honest account of his childhood experience rearing geese for slaughter, and later, his relationship with them. “Then there were the geese, the most admirable creatures I’ve ever met,” wrote Kristof.
Certainly more admirable than our mayor, it’s only a shame they’re not getting the respect they deserve.