Denver turns geese overpopulation into food for homeless

DENVER, Colo. — Denver has a solution to what it views as an overpopulation of Canada geese: It's putting goose on the menu for those in need.

"They round up the geese and they collect them at this time of year because the geese can't fly. And what they're taking them to a processor, and they are getting processed, and they are being donated to needy families," Scott Gilmore, the deputy executive director for Denver Parks and Recreation, told KDVR.

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Denver partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month to start reducing the Canada geese population.

Neither is saying exactly where the meat is going for processing or where it's ending up, but they say it's going to hungry families somewhere in the Colorado.

Gilmore said the city has tried everything else, including a machine called a "Goosinator" and even coating eggs in cooking oil so they won't hatch. Despite those efforts, the population has grown to an estimated 5,000 geese.

"A goose can contribute a pound of poop a day. That is scientifically documented," said Gilmore. The plentiful poop is a primary complaint of visitors to the city's parks.

But not everyone has a problem with the poop or the population. Some neighbors welcome the seasonal visitors, calling them "cute," while others questioned if they're even edible.

CNN/KDVR