Golf club at centre of storm over birds being shot

A golf club in Liverpool has faced a local backlash following claims that it has been shooting Canada geese as they fly over the course.

An article in the Liverpool Echo about Leasowe Golf Club has had hundreds of shares and comments, while a petition about the practice has attracted over 1,000 signatures.

According to the newspaper, the club has been ‘reportedly culling geese as they fly over the 18-hole course on their migratory journey’.

The petition was launched by resident Leanne Hughes, who said: “Everyone has heard the gunshots around the area.

“It’s believed the golf club is paying somebody to come in and shoot the geese as they fly over.

“The reason that’s been given is because they defecate on the lawns as they fly over and it’s a health hazard.

“It’s not right and the people of Wirral don’t want the golf club to be doing this.”

People also took to social media to express their outrage. One said: “They should be protecting our wildlife not killing it because its poo makes the precious grass dirty for a moment.

“So far their response to messages have been inappropriate and making a mockery of people trying to protect wildlife.”

Golf clubs have long considered birds such as Canada geese a problem, claiming that their droppings can spread bacteria like E. coli and listeria to other animals or golfers.

A number of non-lethal ways of deterring the birds have been suggested, including shiny objects, audio devices, fake predator birds and even drones.

The paper added that it had approached the golf club for comment ‘on a number of occasions’ but was told no-one was available.

In 2013 Bank House Hotel and Golf Club faced a similar local storm when Worcester News reported that the bodies of at least seven Canada geese were found floating in a nearby lake.

A club spokesman at the time said: “The way to control them is to shoot them. It’s the mess from their faeces that is pretty grim. It’s unhygienic.”