Skip to content

Goslings orphaned after theft from park

Amanda White
BBC News
BBC A brown goose with an orange beak waddling on the lawn next to a lake. Next to her are five little fluffy goslings.BBC
East Park in Hull is home to a large number of wildfowl including geese, ducks and moorhens

A pair of goslings have been rescued from a house in Hull after they were stolen from a park.

Humberside Police said they were taken from East Park on Tuesday by "a group of youths" and were later found "in a healthy and uninjured state" by officers.

"Two juveniles who are responsible for this are in the process of being dealt with," the force said.

East Hull parks manager Howard Flitton said the baby geese were now orphans because their parents had rejected them due to human interference. They are being looked after by a wildlife rescue charity.

Howard Flitton has receding thin grey. He is standing beside a large lake, with boats in the middle distance and trees in the distance.
Howard Flitton has urged people to leave wildlife alone because "once goslings are disturbed, they are rejected by their parents"

Mr Flitton said: "Within an hour the police actually found the goslings.

"One was in somebody's bedroom and the other gosling was sitting in the other youth's hand."

The BBC understands the goslings had been offered for sale following the theft.

A post on social media suggested they were being sold in the Greatfield estate area.

A greylag goose stares at the camera in front of a sign warning East Park visitors to be careful of the welfare of wildlife.
Signs in East Park warn visitors not to feed the birds or touch them

East Park is home to a wildfowl population including geese, ducks and moorhens. There are numerous signs urging the public to respect wildlife.

Following the incident, police warned people not to touch the birds.

In a statement, the force said: "Please be aware that it is a criminal offence under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to take, injure or kill any wild bird. This includes picking one up and walking away with it."

Two geese standing over three goslings next to a lake.
The goslings in East Park are "undeniably cute" due to their small size and furry nature, Mr Flitton says

Mr Flitton said that while the goslings were "undeniably cute" due to their small size and furry nature, they would cease to be of interest as they matured.

"Within a month them furry little things wouldn't have been so cute and then I don't know what they would have done with them," he said.

He hoped the goslings could be released back into the wild when old enough to fend for themselves.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.