21st February 2015 was the day of the Birmingham wildlife festival and badger march. This event saw several hundred activists, campaigners and wildlife lovers converge on the centre of Birmingham to protest against a variety of issues, principally the current Government’s ill thought out, unscientific mass extermination of badgers to “protect” farmers cash cows and an industry in terminal decline through public mistrust.
Many stalls offered ranges of cruelty free products and wares, and we were there to promote our own cause of Saving Sandwell’s Canada geese from inhumane slaughter. There was certainly an overt political theme around the birds nest library area; talk of “culling the Tories” was quite popular, and there appeared a large presence of Green party activists, competing with just a few Labourites (Labour animal welfare society had scheduled their meeting at Wolverhampton on the same day as others took action on the streets.) You could say some political animals were on heat!
At the nest
Gooseman had his big day out, meeting several new unlikely wildlife friends. In no particular order
A deer Lady
A little badger
Foxy Vixen
And then there was one taken dog who appeared to howl at our feathered hero, like he was some long lost relation, very funny to see.
Gooseman had a REP to protect and kept an eye on the stall, as members of anonygoose went on the march led by Mr Badger.
STOP THE CULL!
On massing in Centenary Square to hear the rallying calls of the various speakers, there was an eager sense of camaraderie amongst the campaigners that they had had their day of protest and achieved the aim of giving two fingers up to the wildlife cullers.