Villagers mourn goose shot dead in suspected drive-by attack

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/26/village-mourns-feathered-friend-reportedly-shot-dead?CMP=twt_gu

** A drive-by in England not quite as bad as in the USA

It’s an alleged drive-by shooting that that’s ruffled more than a few feathers in the sleepy village of Sandon.

Now, after receiving reports that a much-loved local goose has been shot, Hertfordshire police plan to, if necessary, exhume its remains as part of their investigation.

The constabulary sent officers to Sandon on Friday after receiving a report from a member of the public that the goose, which had lived on one of the village’s ponds since it hatched 11 years ago, had been killed.

A spokesman for Hertfordshire police said they were investigating with the RSPCA, adding: “At the moment we cannot confirm if it has been shot or not because we would need a body to do that.

The bird, said to have been a fixture of local life and which features on the parish council’s website, was reported to have been shot on the Rushden Road pond by a man who leaned out of a 4x4 vehicle and opened fire.

Gay Ayton, a resident of the village, which has a population of about 200, told the Hertfordshire Mercury that she was appalled about the alleged killing, adding: “It’s really shocking. A lot of the villagers are feeling very sad – even though he was cursed as sometimes you couldn’t post a letter without a stick,” she said.