Letter: Deal with geese compassionately

Before anyone comes at Cedar Rapids' Canada geese with 'both barrels,” consider this: Goose couples mate for life, raise and protect their young together, take care of one another, and mourn the loss of a mate.

Hunting or rounding up these admirable birds so they can be slaughtered will only increase the goose population by creating a spike in the food supply, which increases breeding and attracts more geese from surrounding areas.

Rather than target the geese, the compassionate solution is to look at what is attracting them. An integrated program involving habitat modification, exclusion, repellents and educating the public that if you feed them, they will come, are key to reducing bird numbers effectively and permanently.

Surely, Cedar Rapids is big enough, and the hearts of its residents are big enough, to leave room for everyone to live in harmony.

Craig Shapiro

PETA Foundation

Norfolk, Va.