The hubris of man

My mother used to have a large pond on her property which became overpopulated by ducks. She attempted to get some of the ducks moved to a nearby pond not so overpopulated, simply out of concern for the ducks as they were fighting over territory. I can't remember what method she had used, possibly by placing an ad or something, but I do remember that she was immediately contacted by government officials and told that it was illegal to mess with migratory birds whatsoever. It was against federal law. Specifically, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

Which reads: "...it shall be unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill, possess, offer for sale, sell, offer to barter, barter, offer to purchase, purchase, deliver for shipment, ship, export, import, cause to be shipped, exported, or imported, deliver for transportation, transport or cause to be transported, carry or cause to be carried, or receive for shipment, transportation, carriage, or export, any migratory bird, any part, nest, or eggs of any such bird, or any product, whether or not manufactured, which consists, or is composed in whole or part, of any such bird or any part, nest, or egg thereof,..."

Now, I know there are addendum's and modifications and the Secretary of the Interior has some discretion, etc., BUT... would the destruction of the migratory geese, named in the treaty JUST BECAUSE they are understandably aggressive in the protection of their nests and because they supposedly "foul" parks apparently reserved only for the enjoyment of humans, who have driven these birds to the use of parks by DESTROYING their natural habitats by over development of land and the destruction of the few wetlands left in this country, be just a wee bit in violation of the spirit, if not the letter of this treaty and federal law?

Honestly, this makes me sick. The hubris of man. This is the type of action that will cause nature to eventually kick our ass off of this planet and we will unquestionably deserve it.

Updated:2007-03-21 11:49:04
Chicago Goes on Goose Egg Patrol
AP
CHICAGO (March 21) - The city needs a flock of volunteers - for goose egg patrol.

Park District officials are enlisting people to help locate nests of goose eggs as part of an expanded program aimed at downsizing the population of the aggressive park-fouling birds. *

The patrols will search 11 city parks for goose eggs during the birds' nesting season, which begins at the end of the month and lasts through April.

The volunteers will be taught about geese habitats and life cycles, but they won't be allowed to handle the eggs. That
task will be reserved for employees of La Grange-based Wild Goose Chase, who will shake the eggs to destroy the embryo or coat them with corn oil to suffocate the developing chick. *

"I can't stress enough, this is not an Easter egg hunt," said Susan Hagberg, president of Wild Goose Chase. "This is very regulated. If people think they can do this on their own, they can't."

Park officials have tried to control the flocks by planting grasses less attractive to the birds along lagoons, spraying digestive irritants on grass in Grant Park, and using border collies to drive migrating geese away in the fall.

The Humane Society of the United States supports the egg hunting method, said spokeswoman Diane Webber.

"It's much more humane than rounding up the geese and gassing them,"* she said.

*my emphasis