TEN prized wild geese have vanished from a village with fears poachers have snatched them for their Christmas dinner.
The gaggle was much loved by residents and were often seen waddling around the village.
Their disappearance has now been reported to the police after a green van was allegedly spotted on the verge where the birds roosted.
Villagers in Upavon, Wilts, fear the geese will end up on someone’s Christmas dinner table next month.
Retired film director Charles Leigh-Bennett, 81, said: “These geese are as much a part of the community as the local pub.
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“Everyone sees the family waddling from their breeding ground down to the river.
“There are lots of theories about what has happened to them.
“All we do know is that there were once more than ten geese and now there are none.”
Retired bus driver Tony Gallagher, 73, said: “They could have been attacked by predators, like otters or foxes but there is just no sign of that.
“You would have thought there would have been if they had been attacked.”
Wiltshire Police was approached for comment.
