As messages of mourning continue to be posted on social media following the deaths of two geese at Sullivan’s Pond, a memorial has been scheduled on Saturday to “start a discussion.”
Katy Jean posted the event being held Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Sullivan’s Pond gazebo on her Twitter account, @DartmouthHaiku, because she wants to start a conversation.
“It’s not just the geese, it could have been anyone. It could have been a child who dropped something and bent over to pick it up,” Jean said. “It could have been way more tragic, not downplaying the lives of the geese, but it could’ve been a lot worse.”
READ MORE: 2 geese at Sullivan’s Pond in Dartmouth dead after being hit by car: police
On Wednesday evening, Halifax police said a male driving westbound on Prince Albert Road was driving by the pond as the geese were crossing the street. Police said the man did not see the geese and hit three of them.
Two of the geese died, one at the scene and the second after being taken to the vet. The third made its way across into the pond and was being monitored by volunteers.
Jean, who lives on the opposite side of the pond, said she started seeing posts on social media about the geese and ran out of her house to see if she could see anything.
Police have since spoken to witnesses and the driver and said the man did not see the geese before he hit them. The responding officer determined there were no violations of the Motor Vehicle Act and as such, no charges will be laid.
After seeing the reactions on social media, and remembering the reactions of people when Erik the Red, the retired “rodent control officer” at the CSS Acadia national historic site, died, Jean said she knew people would be upset.
READ MORE: Historic Halifax ship’s beloved longtime ‘rodent control officer’ dies
“Immediately I thought, ‘These guys deserve a service,'” she said.
She said she jumped on the idea, chose Saturday as the date for the memorial and posted it out on Twitter in haiku form — she has been tweeting haikus for some time for “simple ramblings” — accompanied by a poster.
Mixed reviews have accompanied the memorial, with some people asking why geese need one and others supporting the idea. Jean said it’s about starting the conversation once more.
“It’s going to happen whether it’s good for humans or good for a duck,” Jean said when asked if the event will be rescheduled for weather.
Jean will also be performing some haiku at the event and a song will be sung by songwriter Eric Stephen Martin.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXofYPwDMSP/
Comments