A gaggle of bothersome Dunedin geese could receive a last-minute reprieve.
Dunedin City Council parks operations manager Hamish Black said the council was assisting a group of "motivated'' Port Chalmers residents in their attempt to capture the geese with nets.
The issue of what to do with the geese began after their occupation of Watson Park damaged the playing fields, and large quantities of droppings prompted health concerns.
On Monday, the group lured the geese with bread, practising the baiting required for the upcoming "live capture''.
The group has been receiving advice on best practice for live capture from the SPCA and a bird rescue organisation in Palmerston North.
The council has given the residents until Sunday to capture the geese.
If the capture is successful, a council contractor will help relocate the geese to a private farm, with a pond, on the Taieri.
If the geese make it to the farm, the council will explore the option of clipping their wings.
However, geese had a "large homing beacon'' and there was a chance they could return to the park, even with clipped
wings, Mr Black said.
If the residents' relocation attempt failed the geese would be killed "over the coming weeks''.
They would probably be shot with a .22 rifle and silencer.
However, a shotgun could be used. If so, the community would be notified because of the noise disturbance, Mr Black said.
Geese faeces could contain salmonella, so culling was the only practical solution left, he said. It was supported by the Chalmers Community Board.
"The sports community's patience has well and truly worn out, with some games having to be transferred from Watson Park due to health concerns,'' Mr Black said.
The "multiple attempts'' by the council to relocate the geese to the farm failed because the geese had refused to eat grain spiked with sedatives.
Board chairman Steve Walker said the council had "bent over backwards'' to find a solution to the problem.
"Ultimately, common sense has to prevail and I think that the vast majority of our community would agree that putting community health above all else is not only sensible but of paramount importance,'' Mr Walker said.
