Overview
- Ludwig Smidt personally delivered Paul, Pauline and Wilma on a handcart to Birgits Tiergarten in Rechtsupweg on Saturday.
- The park will keep the geese separately at first, have them examined by a veterinarian, ring them for identification, and grant Smidt lifetime visiting rights.
- Complaints from neighbors about noise and smell led the Landkreis Aurich to review whether keeping the birds was permissible in a residential area.
- An online petition drew roughly 75,000 signatures and rallies showed broad support for Smidt, while the dispute divided local opinion.
- By relocating the geese, Smidt preempted any final county decision, despite officials recently describing talks with neighbors as constructive.