Whopping £275k offered to find killers of village's beloved goose

Two members of the public have offered a reward of £275,000 to catch the killers of a goose that was shot dead in the Hertfordshire village of Sandon.

Peter Hunt, from Sussex, contacted BBC's Jeremy Vine Show to offer a £250,000 reward, before John Barker, from Cambridge, pledged £25,000.

SEE ALSO: Pensioner killed after being hit by car while trying to help injured goose

SEE ALSO: Goose crashes through car windscreen

The white goose, known as Grumpy Gertie, was so famous in Sandon that he featured on the village's sign.

He was found shot dead in the village pond on Sunday, with reports that Gertie was gunned down by a gang in a 4x4.

Villagers spoke of the bird often spotted "standing guard" in a disused phone box.

Gay Ayton, who has lived in the village for 20 years, told the Hertfordshire Mercury: "It's really shocking. A lot of the villagers are feeling very sad – even though he was cursed as sometimes you couldn't post a letter without a stick.

"It's spineless and so irritating. We've always had a goose. He is very protective of the ducklings."

The RSPCA told the BBC: "It is a reckless and senseless act to shoot a goose in the head at point-blank range."

A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire Police told Metro: "Prior to their arrival, the goose had been disposed of and at that stage there were no further lines of inquiry."