Why We Can’t Eat Slaughtered Geese

0
500

Updated, Aug. 2 | The Canada goose, according to those in the know, tastes like a dark, tender cut of smoked chicken.

That’s Canada goose from elsewhere in the country, mind you, where birds killed as part of government plans to shrink the goose population are plucked, frozen and distributed to food pantries. Food banks in Pennsylvania, for example, received 900 pounds of goose meat this year. Geese were also donated this summer to food banks in Maryland and Oregon.

But in New York State, geese that were killed this month were double-bagged and thrown in landfills. Among them – the total numbers have not yet been released – were nearly 400 geese from Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

The mass goose kill in Prospect Park — the idea is to keep them from flying into the engines of jet planes — set off outrage on City Room, where many comments railed against the killings, but others wondered: If we must kill them, why don’t we feed them to the homeless?

Update, Aug. 2, 11:18 a.m. | The official answer to that question came from Farrell Sklerov, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Protection. He said that the state doesn’t have a protocol for testing the geese for toxins and has not figured out how best to process the meat.

New York, Mr. Sklerov wrote in an e-mail, doesn’t have “sufficient guidelines that pertain to the oversight of the safe preparation or donation of geese to food pantries or soup kitchens.”

A high-level official at the federal Department of Agriculture elaborated, saying that city and state officials have waited six years for the New York State Department of Health to report on the safety of New York bird meat.

See also  ‘It’s a monster!’ Teen catches 108-pound catfish on the Missouri River

“We’re looking for a letter somewhere along the lines that says Canada geese are safe to eat, or that one should consume only a certain amount of Canada goose a month, kind of like the state does with fish,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Other states, however, haven’t had a problem with slaughtering the geese for food.

In central Oregon, the Bend Park and Recreation District convened public meetings on ridding Canada geese from city parks.

There, officials ultimately decided to kill 109 geese with carbon dioxide, which is how New York geese were killed this month. The gas doesn’t make the meat unsafe, according to a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, who said it was often used to stun poultry.

Don Horton, the executive director of the Bend park district, said the geese were sent to a slaughterhouse, where they were processed and smoked, at $15 a bird.

“For us, the cost was not exorbitant, but if you’re killing 2,000 birds, the cost gets interesting,” Mr. Horton said.

He said he was confused by New York’s stated concern that the birds might not be safe to eat. “These are the same geese hunted by hunters all the time,” he said.

In Pennsylvania, wildlife killed because it has been deemed a nuisance to crops or parks must be donated to food banks.

“The state permit states that the geese shall be donated to a food bank or a shelter – that is a requirement of the permit itself, so they have to abide by that, or they lose the permit,” said Jason DeCoskey, who oversees special permit enforcement for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

See also  10mm Auto vs .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart Caliber Ballistics Comparison 07 Dec, 2018 Posted By: Foundry Outdoors The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare 10mm Auto vs .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular 10mm Auto or .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say. For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True 10mm Auto and .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance. Caliber Type Velocity (fps) Energy (ft-lb) 10mm Auto Handgun 1200 550 .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) Handgun 1050 500 [Click Here to Shop 10mm Auto Ammo] [Click Here to Shop .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) Ammo] VelocityAs illustrated in the chart, 10mm Auto rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 1200 feet per second (fps) while .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) rounds travel at a velocity of 1050 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, 10mm Auto bullets travel 1.4 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) bullets travel 1.2 times that same speed.Various calibersEnergyFurthermore, the muzzle energy of a 10mm Auto round averages out to 550 ft-lb, while a .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) round averages out to about 500 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a 10mm Auto round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 550 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 500 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power. Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular 10mm Auto or .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) cartridge you're looking at purchasing. [Buy 10mm Auto Ammo] [Buy .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) Ammo] Please click the above links to take a look at all of the 10mm Auto and .45 Colt (LC Long Colt) ammo we have in stock and ready to ship, and let us know any parting thoughts in the comment section below.Foundry Outdoors is your trusted home for buying archery, camping, fishing, hunting, shooting sports, and outdoor gear online.We offer cheap ammo and bulk ammo deals on the most popular ammo calibers. We have a variety of deals on Rifle Ammo, Handgun Ammo, Shotgun Ammo & Rimfire Ammo, as well as ammo for target practice, plinking, hunting, or shooting competitions. Our website lists special deals on 9mm Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 45-70 Ammo, 6.5 Creedmoor ammo, 300 Blackout Ammo, 10mm Ammo, 5.56 Ammo, Underwood Ammo, Buffalo Bore Ammo and more special deals on bulk ammo.We offer a 100% Authenticity Guarantee on all products sold on our website. Please email us if you have questions about any of our product listings. Leave a commentComments have to be approved before showing up Your Name * Your Email * Your Comment * Post Comment

Mr. DeCoskey said the Department of Agriculture had a contract with a plucking house in southern Pennsylvania.

Deer make up the bulk of wildlife killed, he said, and when they are, “the U.S.D.A. will automatically call to find out if there are any needy families nearby to get them the meat.”

But for some, donating the geese to food banks doesn’t make up for their deaths.

In central Oregon, where the killed geese provided more than 1,000 hot meals, residents lashed out against the food bank director for accepting the meat.

Patrick Kwan, the New York State director for the Humane Society of the United States, also disagreed with the gesture. “What they are trying to do is make an unnecessary act seem charitable,” he said.

In Oregon, Mr. Horton saw it another way.

“We knew all along that there was a lot of opposition and that taking the meat from the geese and using that meat to feed the hungry by donating it to these two food banks would temper the opposition,” he said.

Previous articleMerino Wool Versus Polyester: Base Layer Breakdown
Next article8 Tips for a Successful Deer Drive
Ethan Smith
Ethan Smith is a seasoned marine veteran, professional blogger, witty and edgy writer, and an avid hunter. He spent a great deal of his childhood years around the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. Watching active hunters practise their craft initiated him into the world of hunting and rubrics of outdoor life. He also honed his writing skills by sharing his outdoor experiences with fellow schoolmates through their high school’s magazine. Further along the way, the US Marine Corps got wind of his excellent combination of skills and sought to put them into good use by employing him as a combat correspondent. He now shares his income from this prestigious job with his wife and one kid. Read more >>