Save Our Sandwell Canada Geese

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 13 of the story opens today.

Animal Aid became involved in our campaign to save the geese from any future culls. They wrote to the council pointing out that there were Non-lethal methods of site control available. The council replied with yet more nonsense about the longevity of geese. They appear to like using the word “significant” with great liberality.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 12 of the story opens today.

Originally Sandwell council claimed that one of the main reasons for culling geese were due to complaints by park users. A freedom of information request however revealed that just 8 formal complaints had been raised in five years on the two parks. This could relate to just 2 people making the same repeat complaint.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 11 of the story opens today.

Goose faeces. Another issue for Sandwell council which is largely in their own hands regarding ground care. The human health risks associated with this recycled grass are very low, in fact far less than some of the animals which they allow to come into contact with people on their own farms.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 10 of the story opens today.

Numbers game. One of SMBC’s main arguments for culling geese is their obsession with counting them. Different contradictory figures have been presented by the council, who also claim to have carried out egg pricking over several years, which is not evidential at all.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 9 of the story opens today.

The biased report which led directly to the cull of geese. Written by the same parks manager who had lied about the “relocation” of the geese. Again we had to obtain this via The Freedom of Information Act, because Sandwell are not a transparent council when it come to dissemination of decisions made.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 8 of the story opens today.

Media Coverage, and social media outrage!

We told our story to The Black Country Birmingham Evening Mail.

A video was created and also this website and a facebook page. Many people were disgusted with the council’s actions, and particularly the poor statements made by the council which seemed poorly prepared and contradictory.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 7 of the story opens today.

Forge Mill Farm. It was revealed that the geese had been taken to this council tourist attraction where they breed animals for slaughter and sale. It had been denied by the manager of the farm that this had happened. The method of slaughter was not revealed until later. Their necks had been broken, one by one.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 6 of the story opens today.

Ridiculous excuses. At the same time as receiving confirmation that I had been lied to by Sandwell council officers, the cabinet member for Highways and Environment sent me a letter attempting to justify the cull of 220 birds– to make way for a non-native set of other birds. At this point the rationale of protecting public health and public safety appears to be an afterthought in trying to dig their way out of a hole. Through scrutiny, it would only continue to get deeper and deeper.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 5 of the story opens today.

On not believing the story concerning “relocation”, I officially asked via a freedom of information request what had happened to the geese. The response confirmed that the geese had in fact been killed by the contractors on behalf of Sandwell Council in not just Victoria park in 2013 and 2014, but in Dartmouth Park in West Bromwich as well. THUS THIS CONFIRMED THAT SEVERAL OFFICERS OF THE COUNCIL AND THE CONTRACTORS HAD LIED ABOUT THE “RELOCATION”.

It’s advent calendar time. 24 doors mixing the fight against corruption with hope to save the geese of Sandwell. Door 4 of the story opens today.

Arriving in Victoria Park Tipton in August 2014, the same fencing was noted to be set up on the grass. Around 70 geese were missing. I was told once again by the parks manager that the geese had been “relocated” to the Sandwell Valley.