Ottawa uses egg sterilization, drone to control geese population

The City of Ottawa is sterilizing goose eggs and using a remote-control drone to drive them away and reduce their numbers, according to a city report.

The city's public works department is currently testing the sterilization strategy by addling eggs at Petrie Island.

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The technique is paired with the "goosebuster," a remote-control drone used to scare geese away.

The helicopter was used the past two summers during beach season but could not control the geese on its own, the report said.

The company Border Control Bird Dogs will start the addling strategy this month. The city obtained a permit for egg sterilization in April from Environment Canada.

"Through consultation with Canadian Wildlife Services and research on best practices, it was determined that the sterilization of geese eggs is a humane and effective method of controlling geese population," the report reads.

The city has also looked at Toronto, Sudbury, Belleville, Markham, and Peterborough, where municipalities use a combination of active dog hazing along with lasers, pyrotechnics, drones and egg management practices, such as sterilization.

The company will collect data from the combined practice of drone and sterilization to develop a more comprehensive geese management strategy with options for the future, according to the report.