Monmouth County Health Department Creates Health Scare Over Geese


In recent months, the Monmouth County Health Department's Lester Jargowsky has made very strong statements claiming that Canada geese are a "serious risk" to public health. We investigated these extreme claims and found them to be lacking in scientific credibility.

The public has a right to accurate information in matters concerning their health and are entitled to have that information presented in realistic perspective without any manipulative spin.

Apparently, the health department doesn't share this view.

Whether you have an opinion about geese or not, everyone will agree that the health department should never use its authority to create unwarranted health scares - especially for political ends.

By disseminating suggestive information and omitting key facts, the health department has the power to induce panic and manipulate the public into going along with an otherwise repulsive agenda (e.g., the killing of wildlife). Such violations of our trust suggest a willingness to "wheel and deal" on a potentially wide range of issues that may or may not affect our health.

Public health should be protected using sound principles of epidemiology, biology and medicine, not emotions, not politics, and above all not by suggesting actions based on misrepresented facts.

The Monmouth County Health Department has violated our trust.

The truth about
Canada Geese  and
Public Health



Did you know . . . ?

  • There are no PROVEN cases of anyone becoming ill due to geese. Despite enthusiastic claims to the contrary, the Health Department does not have any valid scientific evidence showing that people have become ill from geese.

  • Beach closings are often blamed on geese, but when detailed investigations are carried out, harmful contamination is found to be from human waste (e.g., leaky septic systems, sewage discharges, etc.) or run-off, not geese.

  • According to the Centers for Disease Control, Canada geese have NEVER been linked to any outbreaks of human disease.

  • Health officer Jargowsky, when talking about geese is quick to mention famous outbreaks due to the Cryptosporidium parasite but conveniently forgets to say that NONE of these cases were caused by geese.

  • Jargowsky talks a lot about Cryptosporidium to give the impression that geese are a health threat even though there are no known cases of geese causing Cryptosporidiosis. In fact, his own studies failed to find this parasite in Monmouth County.

  • The New Jersey Department of Health recently REJECTED the idea that geese in Monmouth county are worthy of such extreme statements by saying, "...the role of Canada geese in the transmission of Cryptosporidium or Giardia to humans is not well established, but appears to be small compared with other modes of transmission."

  • State and federal wildlife agencies have programs in place to increase waterfowl populations. If geese spread disease, such programs would have been abandoned long ago.


(over please)


Reverse side:


Clarkstown, NY Non-lethal controls succeed where killings failed.


Residents of Clarkstown, New York learned the hard way that removing and killing geese is not an effective form of goose control.

For two years in a row, all of the geese were removed from several town parks and killed. Within WEEKS, new geese discovered the vacant habitat and moved right in -- tens of thousands of tax dollars were wasted on these inhumane and futile programs.

In 1998, the town finally voted to implement a non-lethal goose control program consisting of well-known and easy to use methods.

Not since the controversy over geese began in 1993 have the parks been so clean. Areas where people felt geese were causing a problem were goose-free -- something that killing failed to achieve.

While there will always be those who have a million-and-one excuses why humane, non-lethal methods of goose control shouldn't be used, one thing they can not deny is how effective these methods are.

If other communities can resolve their goose conflicts using sound, non-lethal control programs, Monmouth can, too.



Navesink River Municipalities Committee (NRMC) uses false health claims to advance goose killing agenda.
Using the Health Department's exaggerated claims about geese being a health risk, John Simpson, Chairman of the NRMC recently suggested that GEESE BE ROUNDED UP AND SLAUGHTERED.

In a recent article, Simpson said, "Once the community understands the problem, we can do something."

We agree. The community should understand that the NRMC and the Health Department are using a fabricated public health scare to gain public support for a cruel and barbaric plan to kill geese in Red Bank, Middletown, Rumson, Fair Haven, Tinton Falls and Colts Neck for a handful of chronic complainers, some influential, who hate geese. THIS is the problem.




I (we), the undersigned, respectfully ask that the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders and other municipal officials, in addressing conflicts that some people might be having with geese, use only humane, non-lethal methods of control where necessary. I (we) oppose the use of lethality because it is too extreme, ineffective, and will do nothing to keep new geese from moving in to "problem" areas.

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