Game hunters want to keep their exclusive right to kill canada geese, but the Christchurch City Council is lobbying the Government to change the rules so it can help cull them.
The geese, introduced from the United States in the 1900s as a game bird, can damage and soil urban parks, damage crops, spoil water and present a risk in large numbers of aircraft bird strike.
Goose populations are managed by Fish and Game and can be killed only by game licence-holders.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) is reviewing the protection status of different species of New Zealand wildlife, including the geese.
The issue has proved so contentious and complicated that DOC has taken nearly three years to make a recommendation to its minister.
Full story here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/2291645/Groups-get-in-a-flap-over-wild-goose-chase
