Geese killed by Ore. park officials become meals

BEND, Ore. — A central Oregon community center that served up Canada geese killed by local park officials has been inundiated with complaints from animal rights activists.

More than 100 Canada geese deemed nuisances were euthanized by the Bend Park & Recreation District last month, which had the geese meat butchered and donated to feed the needy. Protesters staged a memorial service after the birds were euthanized.

About half of the meat went to NeighborImpact, which runs a regional food bank that serves about 15,000 people each month through a network of more than 40 partner organizations. The other half went to Bend's Community Center, which cooks for several local soup kitchens.

Volunteers at the center used the meat for a rich stew that "was delicious," said Taffy Gleason, the center's executive director. On July 11, it was ladled out to hundreds of hungry people, some of whom are homeless or struggling financially.

But word got out that the center had served birds that once roamed local parks, and Gleason and other staff were bombarded with angry phone calls and pledges to withhold future donations.

Steve Murray, the food bank coordinator for NeighborImpact, said the nonprofit distributed more than 2 million pounds of food in the fiscal year that ended June 30. Murray estimated that the goose meat his agency received weighed just under 300 pounds.

"I hate to say it's a drop in the bucket, but it's a drop in the bucket," he said. "And some people like goose meat. It wasn't forced on anyone."