Re: the goose cull in Parksville.
As a teenager in Winnipeg, I was a good friend with a veterinarian named Dr. Norman Stanger. Stanger was part of the University of Manitoba vet lab and a great professor and teacher.
I, with a love of animals, like most my age, was extremely fortunate to spend many hours with him travelling the back roads of Manitoba, visiting farms, the zoo, abattoirs and veterinary private practices.
The animal sciences department on campus had thousands of animals big and small that we attended. I can’t express the number of important life lessons I learned from and with Stanger. He was one of the most influential people in my life.
One of those important life lessons was that death was inevitable, whether by our hands or by some other means. I observed many animals put down, meaning killed, for many reasons. Some to eliminate pain and suffering, some for economic reasons, and some, just because. There is no good reason, or bad reason, for death, human or otherwise, there is just death.
In all my years with Stanger, a dedicated trained professional, and an animal lover, did I ever see him anthropomorphize or give human characteristics to animals. He knew better, and I learned better.
Wayne NevilleParksville