2 geese at Sullivan’s Pond in Dartmouth dead after being hit by car: police

Halifax Regional Police say two of the geese at Sullivan’s Pond in Dartmouth have died after being struck by a vehicle Wednesday evening.

In a news release, police said at approximately 5:50 p.m. 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.

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One of the geese died at the scene, HRP said, while a second died after being taken to the vet. The third continued and swam to the island in the pond. Volunteers are monitoring its condition.

According to police, witnesses at the scene said speed was not a factor.

No charges have been laid.

Amanda Lake-Cormier  said she saw the collision.

“Feathers went everywhere. It was pretty horrifying to watch,” she said, adding that her husband carried a dead goose off of the road.

Lake-Cormier and Angela Jones-Rieksts, another person nearby when the incident happened, both said they’re both struggling to under how it happened.

Coun. Sam Austin said he wasn’t sure what could be done from a municipal perspective to prevent future incidents because, among other things, the speed limit there is already the lowest allowed, and a sign warning motorists of potential geese is in place.

“It’s really a sad day for Dartmouth,” he said.

Halifax police spokesperson Cindy Bayers said they understand the concerns of people, but the responding officer spoke with both the driver and witnesses and determined there were no violations of the Motor Vehicle Act.

News of the deaths, first announced by a Twitter user, set off a firestorm of tweets expressing both sadness and anger over the geese’s deaths.

Dartmouth-Cole Harbour MP Darren Fisher tweeted: “They’re some of our most popular residents.”

Gloria McCluskey, Dartmouth’s former mayor and Dartmouth Centre regional councillor, tweeted: “I am so sad. I was just looking at them last night and thinking they are so beautiful and that we are so lucky to have them.”

One person even tweeted at Ellen Degeneres, saying someone had sent the TV host a video of the Sullivan’s Pond geese last year, to inform her that two geese had died.

“I think it took the accident to make me realize just how special these geese are to the people of Dartmouth, and I think that they bring us together as a community,” Jones-Rieksts said.