A Yorkshire community finds itself bitterly split after local officials voted to remove two geese from their village pond.
The controversy engulfing Stillington, situated roughly ten miles from York, centres on a bonded pair consisting of a white female and a brown Chinese male goose.
Parish councillors reached their decision to relocate the birds during a July 22 meeting, citing concerns about traffic safety.
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The ruling has sparked fierce resistance from numerous residents who have mobilised to challenge what they view as an unnecessary eviction.
The dispute has transformed this typically tranquil village into a battleground of opposing views.
According to the council's resolution, the birds would be "offered back to their owners and if they did not wish to take them back, they would be rehomed together once a suitable pond was found".
Officials have justified their stance by pointing to potential hazards posed when the waterfowl venture onto nearby roads.
The controversy involves a mated pair that have made their home at the roadside pond.
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The controversy involves a mated pair that have made their home at the roadside pond
|While councillors have remained tight-lipped about their reasoning, an insider familiar with the decision indicated attempts had been made to communicate with protesters about the rationale for removal.
Ruth Gaunt, who describes herself as a whistleblower, has emerged as the figurehead of the resistance movement.
Dismissing the safety concerns as baseless, she said: "There have never been any accidents."
"Yes, there has been the odd squashed duck. But saying it's about road safety is ridiculous because one of the councillors doesn't have his dog on a lead and it wanders all around. So there's obviously some ulterior motive."
Protesters have begun staging demonstrations beside the pond
|Her campaign has attracted remarkable support, with an online petition amassing more than 1,300 signatures - exceeding Stillington's entire population of 824.
Protesters have begun staging demonstrations beside the pond, displaying placards and encouraging passing motorists to sound their horns in solidarity.
Betty North, a 91-year-old who has resided near the pond since 1956, expressed deep attachment to the waterfowl.
"I'm just hoping they are able to stay," she remarked. "I would be so disappointed if we can't have them, I really would. I can't believe that anyone would go against it. There's nothing to it."
All parties acknowledge that the geese controversy has 'completely and utterly divided the village'
|The acrimony has escalated through social media exchanges.
One anonymous resident noted: "It's just so ridiculous. There are people who are suffering because of all this, because the people who shout the loudest are being quite vicious with what they are saying."
She added: “I like the geese; there’s not an issue with them at all. Whether they are appropriate to be in the pond, that’s possibly a different issue.
"If they were in a larger lake that would probably be better and would allow the smaller waterfowl to come back."
All parties acknowledge that the geese controversy has "completely and utterly divided the village".