Degreased, cleaned Liberty Park geese will be relocated

SALT LAKE CITY — The wildlife were the Salt Lake residents most affected by Saturday's oil spill.

When waterfowl and other aquatic animals get covered in oil, their lives are in danger.

According to biologist Jared Zierenberg, when the birds clean themselves they can ingest the oil, which can cause neurological disorders and other health complications. If there's too much oil on them, the birds can suffocate, and it can compromise their ability to regulate their temperature, causing hypothermia.

When the Red Butte Canyon spill occurred, Division of Wildlife Resources migratory game bird coordinator Tom Aldrich was already on his way to Liberty Park to check on the Canada goose population.

When he got there he found fire trucks, DWR officers and officials pulling oil-soaked geese out of the pond.

"(The fowl) were completely covered from bill to toe," Aldrich said.

The geese and other waterfowl were taken to different locations, including Hogle Zoo, to be cleaned.

With the team efforts of DWR, the zoo and U.S. Fish and Wildlife, almost 300 birds were rescued from the oil-tainted Liberty Park pond. It took two full days to clean all the birds, with each cleanup taking about an hour.

"That meant about three cleansings each, sometimes seven, 10, even up to 15 in one case," said Brad Parkin, associate director for marketing at the zoo. "It has truly been our honor to be involved in this effort to save the lives of hundreds of these waterfowl."

The birds were released back into the wild Friday.

"They seem to be weathering the storm pretty well," Parkin said. "They seem to be fairly stress-free, very happy."

The urban goose population has become a nuisance on golf courses, residential areas and parks. The city has received so many complaints that the DWR has decided to try to relocate the fowl.

In an effort to keep the birds from coming back to roost at their urban haunts, the adults and the juveniles will be separated.

"What we're trying to do is get these geese back out into the wetlands, where they should be, and hopefully they'll stay there," DWR spokesman Mark Hadley said. "Canadian [sic] geese are very willing to accept young goslings (baby geese) into their family if they don't have any parents with them at the time," he said.

The adults are going to be relocated to the Clear Lake Water Fowl Management Area near Delta. The juveniles will likely be taken to Ogden where the goose population doesn't migrate into urban areas.

"I think they're going to do just great in their new homes," Parkin said.

e-mail: ebassett@desnews.com