British Mailmen Terrorized by Ferocious Goose

When we think of a mailman being threatened by a dangerous animal, most of us probably picture a Doberman, Rottweiler, German shepherd or some other large and toothy dog that any sane person would defer to if threatened. Something a little different is taking place in England, in the quiet village of Stanhoe, where mail delivery in parts of town has been brought to a halt by the actions of the village goose.

George the goose has gained quite a fearsome reputation, at least among the postal set. He lives on a pond on the village green, and is quite popular with the villagers, many of whom provide food for him. Residents stop by the pond, many with their children, and feed bread or corn to George. This may be the cause of the problem. George has become a gluttonous goose who associates people with food, and he can be a rather pushy panhandler. He will sometimes leave the pond and run to meet people coming toward him, anticipating a handout. Most villagers believe that this is the “aggressive behavior” that intimidates the mailmen.

The manager of the postal facility that serves Stanhoe has cut off mail delivery near the pond until George and the two other geese that live there have been removed. Without even bothering to ask a few pertinent questions, such as whether all of the mailmen wear the same color panties, the town council acquiesced and ordered the geese removed. Some of the townspeople were happy with the decision, since it meant that they would be getting mail again, but others were fuming at the absurdity of the dispute. As one woman put it, “He can’t hurt anyone. He can’t bite, he doesn’t have any teeth. He’s only a goose.”

The council did agree to wait until after the holidays to relocate the geese, to ensure that George and his friends did not end up as someone’s Christmas dinner.