Man eats goose that walked into his yard
By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on June 23, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com Larry Cordova Chavez wasn’t about to look a gift horse, er, goose, in the mouth.So when the Canada Goose waddled into his yard last December and wouldn’t leave, Chavez had it for supper.
“The goose appears to have – while likely sick – hung around his house and wouldn’t leave,” Crown Prosecutor Clayton Giles said during a hearing this week in Lethbridge court of justice, where Chavez pleaded guilty to one count of possession of wildlife under the Wildlife Act.
“Ultimately, he caught it, killed the goose, cooked it and ate it.”
Giles said the man’s daughter, who didn’t approve of her father’s actions, video recorded the incident and put the video on Tik Tok, which caught the attention of the authorities.
“He ultimately admitted exactly what he had done and, quite believably, seems to appear to indicate any knowledge that that was not allowed.”
Justice Jerry LeGrandeur accepted the guilty plea, but rejected a joint recommendation from the Crown and duty counsel for a $500 fine.
“Let’s put this in context,” LeGrandeur said. “We don’t have a hunter; we don’t have somebody who goes out and shoots a goose out of season.”
LeGrandeur agreed with the Crown that Chavez, 50, didn’t understand the law, but he pointed out while that is not an excuse, it is a mitigating sentencing factor.
“If he’d had a shotgun, went hunting out of season, no licence, he’d have four or five charges. But what happens is, just by happenstance, the goose shows up, sticks around and he makes use of it. With all due respect, I’m not imposing a $500 fine.”
LeGrandeur gave Chaves credit for accepting responsibility for the offence, attending court and accepting the consequences of a fine. He fined him $10, in default of payment one day in jail, satisfied by his appearance in court.
“Just make sure he doesn’t do it again,” LeGrandeur told Chavez’s son.
An additional charge of hunting wildlife without a licence was withdrawn. Follow @DShurtzHerald on Twitter 4
-3
