An Alabama homeowners association has voted to euthanize hundreds of geese, AL.com reported Friday, June 13 — a decision that’s drawing attention across the state.
The vote’s outcome wasn’t close enough to stop the plan. AL.com reported the HOA moved forward with the measure, though the specific community, its location within Alabama, and the timeline for carrying out the culling hadn’t been publicly detailed as of the report’s publication.
Geese conflicts with HOA communities aren’t rare in the South. Canada geese in particular have expanded their year-round presence across suburban Alabama neighborhoods, fouling ponds, damaging lawns, and occasionally confronting residents. Some communities have pursued egg-oiling programs or relocation efforts through wildlife contractors — methods that take longer but don’t involve lethal removal.
Euthanizing Canada geese typically requires a federal depredation permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, since the birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Whether the HOA had secured that permit wasn’t addressed in the initial report.
Hundreds of birds is a significant number for a single residential community. That scale suggests the flock had been building for years, though no timeline was given.
AL.com hadn’t published additional details — including the HOA’s name, the community’s city or county, or the planned date for the euthanization — as of Friday afternoon.
Reporting by AL.com. Read the original report.
