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Turns Out Geese Were Gassed At JFK Airport
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 16, 2010
Modified Nov 16, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 16, 2010
Modified Nov 16, 2010
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Well, this is gruesome. For some reason the Brooklyn Paper needed some closure on that whole Canada goose massacre that went down in Prospect Park this summer, so they got their hands on the documents that detailed the extermination. Turns out the 250 or so geese that were sent to the gas chamber from the Brooklyn park were just part of the city-wide slay, which brought 1,676 geese to their deaths.
So what exactly happened? The documents note that the birds were put in crates and brought to JFK Airport, where they were gassed, bagged, and discarded. Their lifeless bodies, allegedly in dumpsters, were brought to an incinerator in Garden City.
Emails between officials now reveal that they knew the move would be a controversial one, and the chief wildlife biologist for Port Authority—Laura Francoeur—explained the protocol in a message, stating, "JFK ops will also coordinate your arrival each day to avoid any unwanted attention." Speaking of JFK, why is there a gas chamber there?
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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