The Second Annual Great Canadian Goose Rescue... A Success!

(With a little help from some unlikely people and creatures)
by: Jennifer White

It seemed like Déjà vu... another Goose unable to join its family on the long trip south for the winter! It all started in the fall of 2004, when driving by the local RCMP station on my way to and from school, I noticed a lone goose swimming in the pond. A rescue effort was put forth and the goose lived his winter indoors, and was released in the spring of 2005. Many people, including the RCMP building staff, enjoy watching the annual goose family arrive in the spring and raise their young in the small pond and watch as they all fly off together in the late fall.

The security staff at the RCMP building take it upon themselves to feed and watch over the resident waterfowl family. It can be such a joy to watch the young fuzzy goslings follow their protective parents throughout the summer, and to watch as they grow into adults, while constantly depending on the help of their parents to teach them survival skills. The goose parents can be seen encouraging their young to fly in the early fall, and by late fall most are strong enough to make the long trip south for the winter months. Despite the many dangers of vehicles on the road, predators living in the nearby woods, and competition for food resources, most of the young survive and are ready for migration in the fall.

However, every once in a while a young goose is not strong enough to join it's parents. Despite encouragement and patience, the parents eventually have to leave. Most of the time if a goose cannot gain the strength to fly before the snow arrives, it does not survive. Lakes soon freeze over, removing their food supply and protection, and hungry predators soon arrive. Luckily for the geese who make the pond at the Fredericton RCMP station a home, they sometimes get a helping hand from caring people.

For the second year in a row, a similar situation seemed to unfold. I was driving home in late fall, and noticed a lone goose on the pond. I watched for a few days, not wanting to move in too quickly. I finally decided to stop and talk to the security staff at the station. Sure enough, this was a young goose from this year's clutch that was unable to gain the strength to fly. I was told that the parents encouraged the youngster as long as possible, then finally had to leave. The staff continued to feed and monitor the goose along with a few duck buddies that had not yet departed. The pond was beginning to ice over, and hungry predators were not far off. Once I had confirmed that the goose needed help, a plan was put into action with the help of a few local volunteers. If we were able to catch the goose, it would spend the winter at a small local wildlife rescue.

Not a moment too soon... early morning on the planned day of the rescue, it was very cool. The pond had just started to turn to ice, and our goose was stuck in it! Luckily for him, and to the amazement of the security staff watching from the security cameras, the goose's duck buddies came to his rescue and chipped at the ice until their friend was free. Later that morning, the human rescuers arrived.

This year, because the water was partially iced over, it took eight people, and one kayak to urge the goose out of the water so that it could be more easily caught in the nearby woods. Because of the lack of specialized netting equipment, we had to devise a plan to encourage him out of the pond to be caught. The kayak coming toward him, slowly plowing through the water and ice, pushed the goose out of the water which gave the rest of the group a chance to surround the goose in the woods. It was critical to have people surrounding the goose from different directions, including people to discourage the goose from fleeing on to the road. It worked! He was carefully caught, covered with a blanket and taken to spend the winter indoors where he has the opportunity to get strong and fat. With a little luck, he will be strong enough to be released in spring with his family and duck buddies, just as the goose the year before.

Good Luck Fella!

A big thanks to all the caring people at the Fredericton RCMP station, who feed and look out for the resident waterfowl each summer, all rescue volunteers, our local wildlife rehabilitation centre and the "duck buddies".

** Update - February 7, 2006 **
Our goose is doing very well in his new temporary home. He was joined by another rescued goose and they are now best buddies. They will both be released in the spring - together!

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