SUGGESTED LETTER
"I am a supporter of the Canada
Goose Conservation Society. I am writing to protest at the proposed culling of Canada
geese at xxxxxxx. There are humane alternative methods of population control if numbers
really are a problem, such as:-
- Restricting the feeding of geese to
certain areas - which can then be kept clean
- Habitat management (make access to
water less easy or less visible by planting bankside vegetation)
- Limited egg-control (whereby eggs
can be prevented from hatching - but one should always be left unharmed, for humane
reasons and also because geese will lay another batch if no eggs hatch out)
Have you tried any of these?
The Wildlife and Countryside Act states that anyone applying for a licence
to kill Canada geese must be satisfied that non-lethal methods of population
control are either ineffective or impracticable before a licence to cull
can be relied on. If you haven't attempted non-lethal measures,
then you are laying yourself open to legal action.
People enjoy seeing Canada geese and scientific studies show that the numbers are now
balancing out.Culling is inhumane for the following
reasons:-
- Shooting cannot guarantee 100%
accuracy: a percentage of wounded and suffering birds is inevitable
- Geese deprived of their life-long
mates can pine to death (Konrad Lorenz)
- Rounding up of flightless birds and
then killing them is very stressful and cruel for those birds awaiting their turn to die.
Culling is also very expensive; has to
be repeated regularly; and is very unpopular with the public. A recent petition against a
threatened cull in a Bromley park was signed by 7,000 people.
Please call off the slaughter of Canada geese."