"Geese & Release": Some Complaints Keep Geese Cooped Up, With Deadly Results, in Erdek

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 16 July 2025)

                                     In happier days...

In Erdek district of Balıkesir province, Mehmet Keşniş (65) 

bought a pair of geese to eat the weeds in his cafe's garden.

Over the years, the offspring grew to 30 and each morning

the entire flock of geese would leave the garden to take a dip 

in the Sea of Marmara. 

However (!),  some complaints about the geese have led

to the District Agriculture Directorate's order that Keşniş

keep the geese in the garden and away from the water.  In the

month since the order was issued eight geese have died

from the heat and stress (!). 

Keşniş's daughter Başak (36) lamented that "There are

some people with bad intentions. The geese are less 

harmful to the sea than people, who are much more 

destructive and leave litter behind them wherever they

go."

Local resident Nilüfer Duruoğlu (53)  opined that "No

creature's rights should be violated. This is our duty!"