There is another recent animal cruelty claim being made via facebook and other channels about an alleged attack on a Canada goose in Ward End park in Birmingham. There have been several other posts, videos and pictures made over time along similar lines, but as yet we do not have the full FACTUAL story and the problem I have with these videos is the provenance of who is talking behind the camera, their intentions, and the fact that as ever, we get eavesdropped into a story that has already happened, a claim that someone has done something, but no actual end to the story- and that is the point here because this leads to speculation, clickbait memes and a certain link to monetisation that comes with this.
I would have more interest in such videos if they had a credibility about them, a named person or organisation making the claims and backing it up with evidence, and also what actions they took, and I don’t mean posting a video on facebook. Did they call the police on 999 as the incident was in progress and give a statement as a witness? If not , why not? Did they call the RSPCA to report this wildlife crime, if so what happened to the bird as evidence of what they allege the individual did to it?
I am not sharing the video link as the videos appear to have been shared by other well known individuals including an animal rights investigator and vegan campaigner, who also I would caution is likely to have monetised income coming from his videos/pages. There is nothing wrong in him doing this, but without the origin of the video known and WHO witnessed the actual thing, we are left as a third party caught up in the speculation.
THE FACTS.
The video shows a man who is not white or black but is likely of middle East or Asian identity. The reason I make a point about his potential race is important because that drives the shares and “story” from a certain type of person who feeds off clickbait stories and narratives such as this. It is a point I touched on in the post concerning the old RSPCA programme and claims made by third parties using it for their own political agenda as though it is happening now.
The man is in his late twenties or early thirties, wearing a blue hoody and black jacket. He is holding an empty box Bonita premium pack, which I believe are bananas. A Canada goose is seen in distress behind him, suggestive of serious injury to its neck, but not confirmed. We do not actually see him do anything. He does not speak, does not deny the accusations and appears rather drawn and disconnected to those videoing him.
THE SPECULATION
Claims are made that the witnesses saw this man “break the neck” of the bird. We get them haranguing him about this, but little more. We do not as we could speculate see him put the bird in his empty box to take home to eat. This is important because this is the line that we are drawn down by many sharing this story and adding to it with this suggestion. May I remind folks that Sandwell council used a bunch of psychopaths to murder a couple of hundred geese by doing the same thing.
Many people sharing and commenting could not give a flying fuck about geese, UNTIL this type of story comes along and they use it for their own agenda. Did any of them verify who witnessed the incident or make a report as I have today with an RSPCA inspector asking if they were aware of the incident and if it had been officially reported via their cruelty line. It is at least now on their radar, and not on the radar of social media clickbait.
Who are the witnesses? I could speculate that they are in on the incident, know the man and know they will make money out of sharing a video like this, knowing that it feeds into current narratives about migrants and political discussions. This is most likely not the case, but I do not believe anything unless it is scrutinised and someone puts their name to it, rather than posting a video like this, incomplete, no ending and no outcome. Did he take the bird with him? Did they call the police or RSPCA? Why does the video end inviting you to draw conclusions from an incomplete ending? This is why I ask people to question all they see on these type of videos.
THE CONSEQUENCE.
A viral video, shared by many will make money for someone. Is that their intention in sharing it? Will it lead to copy cat attacks? How do people who rescue birds cope with as has happened, attacks by vigilante members of the public who lap up stories like this and think everyone with a bird under their arm is out to do it harm?
Most of the comments made on social media about this are utter bollocks, not helpful and just a comment on the divided and broken society that we live in today, the pretence of multiculturalism working when it is quite clear that it is not, and different perspectives on types of cruelty and hypocrisy of some birds/animals being ok to eat and others not.