Community Corner

New Canaan Animal Reports: Oiling Canada Goose Eggs

Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt talks about the rising geese population and the preventative measures animal control takes to combat the issue.

New Canaan is dealing with an explosion of wild animals, according to Animal Control Officer Maryann Kleinschmitt. 

In particular, Canadian geese are causing a number of issues due to overpopulation, so she took the opportunity to explain the issue and preventative measures to defend against it to Patch readers. 

Every mating season, Kleinschmitt goes through a process of oiling new eggs laid by returning couples, since, in New Canaan, there are no natural predators for the birds. 

The event is distressing to the geese, who are held at bay by an umbrella while the process is conducted. Often times, the male will attempt to place himself between the nest and the approaching officers and both parents will hiss, flap and fly into officers once at the nest. 

Oiling the eggs is far more humane than the alternative to controlling geese numbers, which is rounding them up to be dispatched. The oil stops the growth of the fetus inside. Kleinschmitt conducts the process as early as possible, visiting known nest locations and monitoring for when females begin to lay. She'll wait for a full nest of between 5 and 8 eggs, and then oil them all at once. 

"I've visited a number of nests and oiled 48 eggs this year just from 6 nests," she said. "We keep track of nests and reduced the numbers of nests in New Canaan because they find somewhere new to nest where they feel more comfortable."

If Kleinscmitt doesn't wait for a goose to lay a full nest—and if she removes the eggs as opposed to oiling them and leaving them there—the mother will re-lay new eggs. By leaving the eggs in nest, the mother will go through mating season without trying to foster a new nest and will just leave the eggs there at the end of the season. This year, Kleinschmitt said she began spotting pairs in the second week of March.

Previously, a permit was needed to conduct the oiling, but a permit was no longer needed this year. Kleinschmitt said DEEP still keeps track of geese numbers and updates officials on when they can discontinue the process. 


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