The German federal state government of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) is planning to permit shooting of goose which have until now been protected: White-fronted, Bean, Barnacle and Egyptian Goose. In addition the existing open season for Greylag and Canada Geese is to be extended.

Birders in Germany are protesting against these plans as goose hunting is unnecessary.
• Germany is committed to the protection of migrating birds as signatory to numerous international agreements and conventions.
• Many birds are only wounded and die a lingering and painful death.
• The social structures of these family birds are destroyed and young birds have no chance of survival without their parents.
• Damage to crops is only intensified by hunting (the birds move to other fillds and require more food for energy replacement).
• Goose hunting is an extreme minority sport. The pleasure of the majority in watching wild birds is spoilt.
For these reasons an online petition calls on the federal states which permit hunting of migrant geese to ban this practice.

You can support German birders and conservationists by signing the petition (in German) at:

http://www.vogelschutz-komitee.de/petitionen/html/petition_show.php?nr=1

Click on "Klicken Sie hier, um die Petition zu unterschreiben" at the bottom of the box and fill in your personal details (you can type in your town and country e.g. Nottingham, England in the "Ort" box) in the new window. (Data is available to the petition initiator only and will be deleted after completion of the campaign) Then click on the "weiter" button and again on the next page to confirm your details. You can then see your signature by clicking on "Zurück zur Petitionsseite".

Werner