Goose problems at Hutchinson Correctional Facility causing damage, aggressiveness towards staff

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KWCH) - The Hutchinson Correctional Facility has had a problem with geese for years and is now looking for an “environmentally friendly harassment technique” to control them.

The Kansas Department of Corrections says Hutchinson is its only facility where geese have become a safety concern due to the pond on the property, where a large population of the geese gather.

The geese, which can number in the hundreds, have had aggressive encounters with staff and visitors along with causing damage to facility roofs, landscaping and staff vehicles.

“Furthermore, their defecation on sidewalks is creating a slip hazard,” said Jennifer King with the KDOC. “A single goose drops between one and two pounds of feces each day, and each goose carries bacteria in its feces, including parasites in the form of E. Coli, salmonella, giardia, listeria and many others.”

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks said it is nesting season currently for the Canada geese, and they can be territorial with their nest and eggs.

For years the Hutchinson Correctional Facility partnered with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks on the goose problem. The geese were banded, documents and relocated as part of a coordinated wildlife-management effort.

However, KDWP no longer has that program.

Now, KDOC is looking for a vendor to help control the goose population.

“The agency’s goal is to provide for an environmentally friendly harassment technique to discourage the geese with the mandate that all federal and state migratory laws governing the management of the Canada goose be followed,” King said.