New York golfer charged with animal cruelty after goose killed with golf club

2024-12-24 21:55:35 source: category:Invest

NEW YORK (AP) — A golfer was arrested and accused of beating a goose to death with a golf club at a New York course in a misguided attempt to put it out of its misery, a county official said Wednesday.

Witnesses say the man decided to kill the Canada goose after it was struck with a golf ball last week at the Putnam County Golf Course in Mahopac, said Ken Ross, chief of the county’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. He said a veterinarian who examined the animal’s remains said it would’ve likely survived the ball strike and was probably just dazed.

Officers from the SPCA’s law enforcement division and the state Department of Environmental Conservation police responded to the call from the golf course on Friday, Ross said.

Witnesses told officers that “one of the golfers allegedly went over to the goose and made comments that he was going to put it out of its misery” after the ball smacked into the bird, Ross said.

Other news Betty Tyson dies at 75, spent 25 years in New York prison before murder conviction was overturned US Open 2023: Swiatek, Sabalenka and Gauff are among the women to watch US Open 2023: Alcaraz, Djokovic and Tiafoe are among the men to watch

The man beat the goose in a way that “almost looked like he was chopping wood,” Ross said. The golfer walked away, turned and saw the goose was still moving, then went back and delivered a killing blow, the SPCA chief said.

“The issue that arises is that none of the individuals were veterinarians,” Ross said. “None of the individuals knew the extent of the injuries to the goose.”

Instead of killing the goose, he said the golfer could have called the police, or wrapped it in a towel and taken it to a vet.

The golfer was charged with overdriving, torturing and injuring animals, a Class A misdemeanor. He will be arraigned Sept. 12.

Officers took the goose’s carcass to a veterinarian, who said the bird’s chest was swollen from the original strike by a golf ball but the injury would not have killed it, Ross said.

“The wings were fine, the legs were fine, so the goose was probably stunned and struggling to deal with that,” he said.

X-rays showed the goose’s head had been separated from the spine by the force of the golf club. After learning that, Ross said, the officers decided the golfer should be put under arrest.

___

Follow Julie Walker on X, formerly known as Twitter @jwalkreporter.

More:Invest

Recommend

Diamond Sports Group can emerge out of bankruptcy after having reorganization plan approved

Diamond Sports Group, the largest owner of regional sports networks, can emerge out of bankruptcy af

Adam McKay accused of ripping off 2012 book to create Oscar-nominated film 'Don't Look Up'

Adam McKay, who wrote and directed the 2021 Oscar-nominated satire "Don't Look Up," is being accused

What Nicole Richie Taught Sister Sofia Richie About Protecting Her Privacy

Never were there such devoted sisters as Sofia Richie and Nicole Richie. Lionel Richie's youngest da