Foster City considers killing geese over water pollution concerns, residents protest

FOSTER CITY, Calif. - Members of animal rights groups marched to the steps of City Hall in Foster City on Tuesday. They were protesting a plan to kill potentially hundreds of geese. City officials say the birds are not migrating like they should, their population doubled in just one year, and their droppings pollute waterways.

Fleur Dawes said the removal process would include trapping geese and gassing them. She called it cruel and a waste of taxpayer money.

Dawes said, "Coexistence and compassion are two values the Bay Area holds very dear. So the fact that Foster City is planning on giving them a very brutal death is really shocking."

Erik Allen, with "Direct Action Everywhere" was one of the organizers of the protest. He set up a model of what one of the traps might look like.

Allen said, "They come out and in the middle of the night unannounced and they literally round up geese while they can’t fly."

Allen is calling on the mayor and city council to let the geese live.

"The geese, they are wildlife, this is their land too. They are part of the scenery they are part of Foster City. And they don’t have to kill them," said Allen.

Many protesters took their signs into Tuesday’s city council meeting.

MORE: Animal lovers upset geese could be killed over excessive poop

This issue was not on the agenda, but a city spokesman sent a statement. Part of it reads: "with an obligation to maintain healthy waterways and inviting parks, Foster City is considering the lethal removal of a limited number of geese."

The statement also says, "No action or decision on the matter has been made, other than the direction to acquire the necessary permits should the city move forward with lethal removal."