Promote Peace for Geese! PETA Asks Goose Creek to Honor Namesake Bird With ‘Plucked’ Anti-Down Statue

For Immediate Release:
May 5, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Will Goose Creek help do some good for the gander by displaying a pro-bird statue urging everyone to ditch cruelly-obtained down feathers? PETA thinks so! In a letter sent today to Crystal Reed, Director of Goose Creek’s Recreation, Art and Parks, PETA asks to participate in the city’s “Adopt-a-Goose” program—in which local businesses can place a customized goose statue around town—with a statue depicting a half-plucked, crying goose and a plaque reading, “My Feathers Belong to Me. Please, Don’t Wear Down.”

“Geese feel pain and fear, love their flock members, and don’t deserve to be tormented, plucked, and violently slaughtered for down,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “By embracing PETA’s message, Goose Creek could encourage residents to show compassion for birds of a feather by sticking to down-free coats, pillows, and blankets.”

PETA points out that geese are family-oriented and mate for life, mourning for long periods when their partners die. In the down industry, workers often pin down terrified geese and tear their feathers out by the fistful, plucking them so violently that many are left with gaping, bloody wounds. At the slaughterhouse, workers slit their throats—often while they’re still conscious. The down industry also helps prop up the immensely cruel foie gras industry, as producers often seek to bolster income by selling the feathers of tormented, force-fed geese.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat, wear, or abuse in any other way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Libby Roerig follows.

May 5, 2025

Crystal Reed

Director of Recreation, Art & Parks

City of Goose Greek

Dear Ms. Reed:

I hope this letter finds you well. On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and our nearly 800 members and supporters in Goose Creek, I am requesting to participate in Goose Creek’s “Adopt-A-Goose” program. We hope you’ll make an exception for our goose from outside the city limits, as PETA’s statue has an important message to share.

PETA’s goose would honor Goose Creek’s namesake and inspire residents to show compassion for these loyal, intelligent birds by ditching down and letting birds keep their feathers. One side of the statue shows a happy, healthy goose living freely, while the other side reveals the cruelty that the down industry tries to keep under the covers.

In China—the world’s largest producer of down—many birds are live-plucked, their feathers yanked from their skin while they are conscious and shriek in terror. Even disingenuously named “responsible down” is a sham, as all birds used for down are exploited and ultimately slaughtered. A PETA Asia investigation revealed that geese used for Responsible Down Standard-certified feathers were beheaded with a dull axe, requiring multiple blows to kill them. Foie gras producers also exploit geese, profiting not only from stealing their feathers but also from force-feeding them and selling their diseased, fatty livers. These birds suffer at every stage of their short, miserable lives.

Birds are not stuffing for pillows and jackets or food for people who find fatty livers appetizing. They are devoted parents and lifelong partners. Even as goslings, they are skilled swimmers, and their parents are meticulous nest keepers. Their family bonds are so strong that they mourn the loss of loved ones and refuse to leave injured flock members behind. These family-oriented fowl deserve our respect and protection.

We appreciate your consideration and look forward to working together to promote a meaningful message in Goose Creek.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman

Executive Vice President