Dec. 9—LEWISBURG — The founder of Save the Geese Bloomsburg is attempting to rally citizens of East Buffalo Township to stop the removal of ducks from Fairground Road Park.
Dawn Moore, who was successful in Bloomsburg earlier this year in preventing the town council from euthanizing geese at the Bloomsburg Town Park, said she and citizens of East Buffalo Township will attend the Dec. 12 public meeting to ask questions and offer solutions. At last month's meeting, the township announced that Kyle Van Why, wildlife disease biologist for the USDA Wildlife Services, and state Game Commission, will tag and remove the birds from the park between December and February at no cost to the township.
Moore said she had no interest in waterfowl until last April when Bloomsburg Town Council voted to euthanize the birds at the town's park.
"I can't stand by and let it happen here," said Moore. "They're innocent animals. They're friendly. They walk right up to you. They're not hurting anyone."
Moore, in collaboration with Duck Defenders and In Defense of Animals, has already made shirts and yard signs, some of which are already displayed on Fairground Road near the park.
Township Manager Jolene Helwig said last week that the ducks will be removed because of the high pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. Helwig said the ducks will be taken to the organization's lab to study. Helwig did not say whether the ducks would be euthanized and attempts to reach Why for more information were unsuccessful.
Moore said she reached out to Helwig for answers this week. Helwig said she did not recall having any conversations about the subject matter and declined further comment.
Moore shared documents from a Right To Know Request granted on Wednesday that show the township has no intention of killing the animals at least prior to January 2022.
Why told Helwig in an email in January that USDA would be interested in "capturing next year there for disease testing but also to see if the banded birds are around or if they are moving around the area and get identified at other sites."
Moore said she learned through her time with the nonprofit Save the Geese Bloomsburg that municipalities need permits from the USDA. The federal agency must verify the township has tried non-lethal deterrent methods before issuing a permit and that feeding bans be enforced.
Moore said the groups can help by producing signage, providing veterinary care, education and any thing to help with the "perceived problem."
Anthrozoologist and Wildlife Rehabilitator John Di Leonardo, the president and executive director of Humane Long Island & Duck Defenders, said he shares concerns that domestic waterfowl are in the wild population.
"These animals did not get here by accident," said Leonardo. "They were abandoned, likely after being sourced from poultry farms where animals are kept in cramped, filthy conditions that breed diseases like avian flu, calling into question the validity of related findings at this location.
Abandoning a domestic duck or goose is "cruel and illegal, and no different from abandoning a dog or a cat," he said.
"Domestic ducks have tiny wings, large bodies and no camouflage," he said. "They don't know how to forage adequately and cannot fly or migrate. They are as different from wild ducks as a housecat is from a tiger and are literally sitting ducks for predators and cruel people when abandoned to the wild. With winter approaching and an inability to fly or migrate, they may become frozen to the ice or suffer from frostbite or starvation."
Duck Defenders "stands ready to help remedy this situation by helping the USDA and the township to rehome the abandoned domestic waterfowl to reputable homes and sanctuaries and offering the township free signage for their local parks educating the public about this important issue," said Di Leonardo.
The public meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday at the municipal building, 589 Fairground Road, Lewisburg.
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