Nearly 80 goose eggs have been collected from nests within the Dieppe traffic circle in an effort to control the growing population of nesting pairs of Canada geese.
Dozens of geese are struck and killed every year, or they cause accidents by wandering out onto the road. Four geese have been struck by vehicles in Dieppe so far this year.
"Safety is the number one priority for our department and for our government, and for passengers and people driving vehicles on that circle," says N.B. Minister of Transportation Bill Fraser.
A group collected nearly 80 eggs from 18 different nests surrounding a pond in the middle of the traffic circle Thursday evening.
The eggs are still in the early stages of their development. They have been placed on ice to stop their growth, which ecologists say is the most humane method of population control.
“We will continue to monitor the number of the birds in the circle and, for now, culling the adults is not something that’s on the table,” says ecologist Greg Quinn. “It’s something other jurisdictions do; cities like New York City will cull thousands of adult birds every year.”
The eggs that have been collected will be given to the New Brunswick Museum for scientific research.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Jonathan MacInnis.
