A teenager is facing charges of animal cruelty for allegedly driving an SUV over multiple sleeping geese in three Winnipeg parking lots, resulting in the deaths of many of them. The incidents occurred during a half-hour period in south Winnipeg on a Saturday evening.
Winnipeg police reported that the teenager first injured a sleeping goose in a parking lot on Henlow Bay, located in the West Fort Garry Industrial Park, around 10 p.m. Following this, two sleeping geese were killed in an adjacent Henlow Bay lot a few minutes later. At 10:17 p.m., two more geese were killed in a strip mall parking lot near Ikea on Sterling Lyon Parkway in the Seasons of Tuxedo shopping district after being chased from their nest.
Security footage captured by a business at the strip mall showed the SUV running over the Canada geese in the parking lot. The authorities were able to identify the vehicle through the footage and subsequently arrested the teenager at his residence on Monday. He is facing five charges related to killing or injuring animals.
It is illegal to harm or disturb Canada geese, as they are protected birds under federal law. Victoria Shroff, a lawyer specializing in animal law, emphasized the importance of respecting all animals and highlighted the legal protections in place for migratory birds like Canada geese for over a century in Canada. She stressed the need for further education on animal welfare, especially among young individuals, to promote coexistence and empathy towards sentient beings that can experience pain.