France declared war on Canada's goose

French officials announced yesterday that they will allow people to hunt geese from the summer of next year to reduce the number of exotic birds that are harmful to the environment.

>>> Thegoose flies backwards

AFP quoted the announcement of the French Ministry of Environment as saying that hunting geese will be allowed to take place between August 2012 and February 2013. This policy will be reviewed in 2015.

Canadian goose began to appear in Europe since the 17th century.

Canadian goose (branta canadensi) was brought to Europe from the 17th century and their number increased rapidly over time. In the 90s of the last century, only a few hundred Canadian geese live in France. But today that number has increased to several thousand.

Ecologists say the feces of Canadian geese cause pollution of water sources and green spaces. In addition, they also scramble for nesting places with native waterbirds such as cages and le le.

Many countries treat Canadian sky geese as annoying animals. In March the New Zealand government allowed people and hunting organizations to catch them.

Canadian sky goose is also considered a danger to the aviation industry. Last year US officials killed nearly 1,700 geese around the airports in New York City after a US Airways airline collided with a flock of geese. The impact caused the pilot to control the aircraft landing on the Hudson River.