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

Birders in Germany are protesting against these plans as goose hunting is unnecessary.

• Germany committed itself to the protection of migratory birds as signatory to numerous international agreements and conventions.

• Many birds are not killed immediately and die a slow and painful death.

• The social structures of these family birds will be destroyed and young birds have little chance of survival without parents.

• Damage to crops is minimal and in fact often intensified by hunting (the birds spread to other fields and require additional food for extra energy).

• Goose hunting is a sport for an extreme minority, acting at the cost of the majority who have pleasure in watching wild birds.

• For these reasons an online petition calls on the federal states not to allow hunting of migratory geese and not to implement any new hunting regulations that permit the hunting of geese in areas where they were totally protected until now. 
  
  You can support German birders and conservationists by signing the petition (in German) at:
  
   Click here to sign the petition
  
  Please 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".

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