Fowl Play: Officials Kill 400 Geese in Prospect Park

If you noticed fewer geese in Prospect Park this weekend, there's a reason -- and it's not pretty.

In an effort to reduce the goose population in the NYC region, wildlife biologists and technicians from the United States Department of Agriculture captured and euthanized nearly 400 Canada geese and goslings last week, the New York Times first reported.

Carol A. Bannerman, a spokeswoman for the USDA's Wildlife Services Division, told NBCNewYork that the program began last year as part of the Aviation Passenger and Property Protection Act.

In January 2009, two geese flew into the engines of US Airways Flight 1549, causing Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger to make his infamous emergency landing in the Hudson River.

Biologists chose this time of the year because geese are in the middle of molting season, making them unable to fly. Last summer, 1200 geese from 17 sites were euthanized. This year, the goal is to remove all geese within seven miles of La Guardia and John F. Kennedy airports, officials said.

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