SHOPPERS were greeted with the bizarre sight of toy geese brandishing animal rights placards.
The strange demonstration was an attempt by activists to highlight the use of duck and goose feathers in duvets.
Some 40-life sized toys were placed on a busy shopping street in London much to the annoyance of pedestrians who complained they were blocking the way.
The stuffed toys had placards attached to them reading “Are you quackers”, “Hands off my feather”, “Don’t pluck me alive”, “Go pluck yourself” and “Don’t ruffle my feathers”.
Animal charity Four Paws gathered in London’s Hammersmith area on April 3.
The demonstration was organised by the Four Paws charity which claims as many as 40 ducks or geese are tortured, live-plucked or force-fed for the production of one down-filled duvet.
Four Paws wants the bedding industry to introduce stricter standards for ensuring their down is cruelty-free, after claiming to have identified failings in the existing policies of many of the major manufacturers and retailers.
It says force-feeding associated with foie gras production and live-feather plucking for the down and feather industry, still takes place.
But some pedestrians were annoyed at having to skirt around geese which they said formed an obstruction on a busy street.
A spokesman for Four Paws said: “We have been running the campaign for past few months against a number of manufacturers and retailers in the bed industry.
“We have targeted retailers that didn’t have policies which stopped cruel practices and during the course of the campaign we’ve entered into discussion with a number of them.”
