West Seattle Crime Watch: Fauntleroy geese attacked

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

Just received a note about an apparently thwarted case of animal cruelty involving beach birds known to many in the Fauntleroy area (featured on WSB back in August). The person who e-mailed us did not want to be publicly identified:

I called 911 on 3 youths today who were using a sling shot to sling rocks at the white geese that have taken up home near the front entry of Lincoln Park.

The youths were yelling, “kill them” when a lady stopped and asked them to leave the geese alone. I was walking my dog and told them to stop and leave them alone. At this point they had something in their hand and it looked like they were trying to put it around the geese’s neck. They yelled at me and asked what I was looking at. They made threatening remarks to me and the other lady. I called 911 and gave a detailed description to them. I couldn’t stay for the police to arrive as I had to leave to pick up my own son from after school care. This was about 4:30 today.

Description (I should have taken a picture with my phone, but was intimidated):
3 youth male between the age of 15-16
One Caucasian, very thin, dressed all in black with spiked blonde hair
2 others who looked like brothers, husky build, mixed race, definitely some islander, one was wearing a red t-shirt with jeans and the other a red hoodie with jeans. The one with the hoodie was yelling “kill them”. The one with the red t shirt was saying the threatening remarks.

I hated to see those innocent geese that are so beautiful tortured. Not sure if you want to post or not. The police dispatcher said a car would come patrol the area as soon as possible

Tonya October 13, 2010 (6:19 pm)

Anyone who would hurt animals is scum.

Cat October 13, 2010 (6:27 pm)

Thanks for posting this. I love that area and will be on the look out for these boys.

onceachef October 13, 2010 (6:28 pm)

Geese can be a nuisance but killing them is NOT an option! Thanks to the people who stood up to these punks…remember, violence to animals soon escalates to violence on humans.

Pam October 13, 2010 (6:46 pm)

Most kids that age are nothing but hot air. People shouldn’t be intimitated by them. They need for all of us old folks to stand together & stop the destructive behavior by just telling them to “knock it off!”

Laurie October 13, 2010 (6:53 pm)

You know what they say about kids who torture and kill animals. Somebody has to stop them – or at least punish them – before they continue on to even worse things.

Although I’m not convinced there’s much worse than going after innocent animals (see also the little jerk who shot the heron in N. Seattle earlier this month). THANK YOU FOR STANDING UP FOR THE ANIMALS!

Kayleigh October 13, 2010 (7:17 pm)

Please lock these budding sociopaths up for once. Please? We are far too lenient about animal cruelty in this country.

michele October 13, 2010 (7:19 pm)

Are the geese okay?

Amanda October 13, 2010 (7:46 pm)

Was *just* there before this report! Unusual to see white geese and my son was thrilled. What a bunch of jerks!

RJB October 13, 2010 (7:51 pm)

Thanks for standing up for the animals!! Jerks….

CandrewB October 13, 2010 (7:59 pm)

It’s great to defend the defenseless. It would be even greater to not have to worry about arrest, their parent’s lawsuits, and the inevitable headline “Crazy adult attacks precious cherubs.”

Noelle October 13, 2010 (8:13 pm)

Very good to speak up for the animals! Poor things!

none given October 13, 2010 (8:21 pm)

The white geese are okay. They actually look like Swan’s.

They went out to the ocean and toward the Ferry and teenagers left them alone at least while I and the other lady were there.

Yes, most youth are harmless, however what we’ve seen around W Seattle lately is some are not. After they were asked to leave the geese alone they threatened me and the other lady. That is when the call was placed. The police were very interested in hearing about the youth. They were not arrested as there was no ground for arresting but the police will be looking out for this type of behavior and these youth who are torturing animals.

kim October 13, 2010 (8:21 pm)

The geese live at Cove Park and Lincoln Park. As noted in the report, they are fixtures of the community. Thank you for reporting this to the police, although obviously this will be a low priority for the police, the community can watch for the youth based on the descriptions and follow up on any further activity. This is an issue of livability, sustainability and community action. “Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirlwind.”

datamuse October 13, 2010 (9:24 pm)

If those kids keep it up they may find out why geese used to be used as watch animals. A pissed-off goose is not to be messed with.

Sonoma October 14, 2010 (12:06 am)

Those kids sound ugly through and through. I did see the geese around 6 PM tonight. Unfortunately, the nasty little humans will probably return to harrass the birds some more – or worse. I’ll keep an eye out, and a stone in my fist.

sassy October 14, 2010 (9:26 am)

This is just stunning. Absolutely no regard for animal life, and to then threaten two people who have asked them to stop?

I wanted to thank you for what you did. For not turning a blind eye. This is how we can all have a positive impact in our communities.

Animal cruelty sickens me like nothing else.

D.C. October 14, 2010 (10:14 am)

Torturing and killing animals is certainly something that can’t be tolerated, but we also have to remember that kids sometimes do things that seem irrational to us as adults that isn’t necessarily malicious on their part. Boys growing up like throw rocks at birds, try and shoot them with bb guns, use slingshots, and so on, but rarely with intentional cruelty the goal. We are driven by instinct to want to try and test our skills.
–
I wasn’t there and maybe these kids are really bad apples. I just think it’s important to keep some perspective. All of us have done stupid things when growing up that we’d never think of as adults. It doesn’t make us all sociopaths.

onceachef October 14, 2010 (11:19 am)

Right you are DC…we all have done things that we shouldn’t have…but these kids were heard yelling “kill them”…it’s a little more than youthful exuberance, don’t you think?

samson October 14, 2010 (12:01 pm)

OMG! thats so sicko! I will come up to them and kick their bottoms for attacking these innocent geese!! just like they hurt geese and geese couldnt get back to them… Wish Geese could chase and use their peaks to pinch boys bottom. Oh never mind, i have my rotty to chase the boys and let them wee wee on the way home…

Damn these boys, they need to be punished. where are the parents?! I will look out for geese to make sure they are doing okay…

Hope bad karma gets to these boys!

lw October 14, 2010 (12:02 pm)

DC, i am with you! sometimes kids do stupid crap. doesn’t make it right, but with a talk and some guidance – they don’t do it twice.

tell the kids to knock it off! over reacting isn’t going to help either. however confronting ppl isn’t always easy. with kids- well as a parent, that kind of thing is easy for me to do… once i had a kid say ‘who are you?” i said, “world mom, now pick up your litter please….”

I hope that if my children were showing their as*es somewhere, that an adult would bring it to their attention. I am from the it takes a village mindset!

Thank you for standing up for the animals and letting the kids know they were not acting in a kind manner.

kg October 14, 2010 (12:08 pm)

Thank you for having the intestinal fortitude to stand up to these punks and call the police. Sorry DC your excuses for these kids or any other criminal for that matter, doesn’t pass the smell test.

good job October 14, 2010 (1:46 pm)

Thank you for calling 911!!! These are beautiful geese. If you see them you can’t miss them they are majestic and look like the depiction of ‘Mother Goose.’ They are ‘friendly’ too you can go right up to them and they want to be fed (don’t do it!) which tells me people do give them snacks. But this is why those kids might have gotten close. How great it is to hear they swam away. I love these birds.

J October 14, 2010 (2:32 pm)

“They were not arrested as there was no ground for arresting”

But you said they threatened you. Is that not illegal?

Kris October 14, 2010 (4:40 pm)

I too am an animal lover and am not tolerant of animal abuse. However, there are some very angry, revengeful, violent comments being made that make me wonder about some of the “compassionate” commenters.

Sonoma October 14, 2010 (4:44 pm)

My god, I just hate those spineless “kids will be kids” excuses. There’s mischief, and then there’s outright cruelty. Those little p.o.s. were hell-bent on hurting or killing the geese, and to make matters worse, they threatened the people who spoke up. SINCE WHEN is this excusable behavior? We need to stop coddling people – including teens – who behave like savages.

S October 14, 2010 (7:24 pm)

Thank you for making an effort to stop the abuse of the geese. Others may have done nothing and walked away, leaving these jackasses to hurt or kill one or more…So many kids have NO RESPECT for anymore these days. To threaten TWO adults telling them to stop????? NO respect!.. That is NOT ACCEPTABLE!! I was raised to have respect for my elders. I would NEVER have thought to back talk someone older than me, let alone threaten them. Kids will be kids is a lame excuse.

Kayleigh October 15, 2010 (6:01 am)

Sociopaths don’t deserve compassion, Kris. Nor is this “typical” teenage behavior, DC. Kids can be taught VERY young to be kind and gentle with animals. Next time you hear about these air wasters, they will have stolen your car.

OP October 15, 2010 (10:10 am)

Thank you, DC and Kris, for being beacons of reason that cut through the fog of hyperbole that permeates this thread. I’m in 100% agreement with both of you.

WSB: Do we know if they police showed up or not?

Mariah October 16, 2010 (12:11 am)

I was at Lincoln Park this morning and the geese weren’t there. I hope they are still ok.

CF November 1, 2010 (2:54 pm)

Was at Lincoln Park this weekend and last weekend and only saw one goose on both visits. Has anyone seen both of them recently? Makes me a little nervous after hearing about this awful behaviour.

Sorry, comment time is over.