United Utilities: Don't Slaughter Geese Again - Create a Non-Lethal Plan !

United Utilities' site at Lingley Mere in Warrington has two lakes which had built up a population of about 100 adult Canada geese. On the night of Thursday 26th June the company arranged for all the birds (including goslings) to be slaughtered overnight. When staff returned to work the next day, questions where soon been asked as to why all the adults and goslings had vanished. The company have used health and safety as the excuse for taking the easy option.

Very often the saying "where there's a will there's a way" is true, and I seriously question weather United Utilities looked at all other possible solutions before the extermination plan was adopted such as egg tampering, strategic fencing, or planting waterside vegetation to name but three. The infamous Windermere cull was called off after protests and another solution was adopted there, it should have been possible at Lingley Mere too!

I call on United Utilities to pledge never to slaughter birds at Lingley Mere ever again. Nature will fill the population void over the coming years and history will repeat itself unless a non-lethal action plan is ready and in place.