Update on Medford Domestic Geese

( Photo: Encased in ice when admitted to REGI about 5 p.M. The ice was around her body and on her back. With the white feathers you have to look a bit to see the hunks of ice. Some ice had melted during the hour and a half trip to REGI)

Just a quick update before I get back to my regular blog. Barb and Rick Klug of Wausau went to Medford today to assess the situation. They took along a large box just in case they were able to catch any of the geese.


( Photo: Barb and Rick Klug of Wausau with the goose when they arrived.)

They took a large sack of feed with them. It turns out Rosie and Don Pederson of Medford arrived about the same time as the Klugs. Rosie and Don brought food as well. The weak and injured goose was encased in ice. The goose knew Rosie and Don from previous feeding trips and came to them. With the permission of the terrific Medford Police Department, they grabbed her up, got her into the box and the Klugs were on their way to Antigo with the bird.

I want to give a special nod here to the Medford Police Department. I talked with them over the years about some problems that have occurred on Mill Pond. They are not only responsive to abusive actions that have occurred in the past but keep a close eye on the birds. A big thank you to them for their help.

There are still seven geese on the Eau Claire River in the area. The Pedersons and some other kind folks are going to continue to feed them when they can for as long as the water stays open, but if anyone has any good ideas for placement please let us know.

The goose is now free of ice, has been blown dry with a hair dryer. Her wounds on her back and neck and eye caused by a dog, have been tended. She is recovering as I write this piece.

Thanks so much to everyone that responded. While this is beyond the scope of my wildlife work, I feel it is a human responsibility to try to prevent the inhumane death of any creature. I grow weary of those that bow out of helping in these cases because it is not their "job". Sometimes you just have to "do the right thing". In this case...getting a poor injured domestic goose from frozen water hours before it would have been too late, was the humane and right thing to do.

Perhaps a needed step to stop "dumping" of geese and ducks in ponds etc is to encourage retailers to stop advertising any animal... bunnies, ducklings, goslings or chicks as Easter gifts. These animals quickly outgrown a yard. The alternative is to euthanize, find a home or "dump" the animal in some public park. It is irresponsible to get or give an animal to a child as a "Easter toy". We are teaching children irresponsibility, not respect for the world around them. We need to do better. Our society reflects that need.

Off my soapbox for now and back to my wildlife blog. It has been a busy holiday weekend.

Thanks again to everyone.

Marge Gibson 2010

Urgent Help Needed for "Dumped"Domestic Geese

( Photo: Domestic geese at Medford Mill Pond, try to stay alive on whatever grain generous folks drop off. There are eight (8) domestics in varieties that range from Toulouse, Emden, Grey-lag and hybrids of the mix of all. They do not tolerate winter well without protection, unlike the native Canada Geese in the background. The poor white goose in the front was attacked by an animal, likely a dog, and may not live out the week without intervention.)

Good Morning everyone,

It is rare when I write this blog before 11 p.m., but this is an exception in many ways. It is also rare I discuss domestic fowl, as our work is specifically about native avian species.

I promise, gentle blog readers, that this will not become a habit.

I have reports yearly of Domestic geese "dropped off" in area ponds or lakes.
If there is anyone out there that can give these poor geese a home, even for the winter, please email or call me. Domestics are captive-bred and do not have the ability to live and compete with wild geese in extreme temperatures.

So how does this phenomenon happen? The geese are purchased when they are "cute" hatchlings. Once the goslings began growing, they are not so cuddly as in the weeks before. They develop annoying problems like being LARGE and eating a lot. The biologist in me feels the need to state the obvious, that being anything that eats a lot, poops a lot.


( Photo: Baby geese are adorable. Adult geese are adorable but, well... larger and not fluffy.)

The situation is exactly the same problem Humane Societies around the country see with kittens or puppies. People fall in love with cute little faces and tiny bodies of baby animals. They adore the little tykes, showering them with love and attention. Then, the little ones ( of whatever species) grow up! Once they are grown the "owners" tend to ignore them at best, or abuse them at worst. Somewhere in the middle is abandoning them. I say that only because abandoned animals can find homes, at least sometimes.

I for one work hard to try to find places for the "dumped" animals, including the cats and dogs that people drop off by my home. I can only believe the "dumpers" deduce that because I obviously love animals, I will find good homes for them. We get an interesting mix here from cockatiels and ring-necked doves to three-legged dogs ( another story for another time) and cats. I do take many in, but our animals tend to live long and thrive. We can only do so much. With seventeen Bald Eagles and one hundred and fifty other wild patients currently at REGI, and a houseful of pets, my ability to take in any more domestics of any species is impossible.



(Photo: Baby is a wonderful, albeit elderly, domestic goose that has earned the right to live her life in comfort as long as she has naturally. With one wing, and osteomyolytis in her hip and leg, she had been through some unspeakable treatment before she was brought to us. She has recovered her leg issues with only a limp. Her wing will not grow back, of course. She is sweet and lovable. She is at least eleven years old, but maybe older. She has to live indoors in the winter due to the disabilities and leg problems. She is safe. She is with us, but if someone could give her a loving forever home, I would be grateful.)

These geese need help. The current group I am aware of is in Medford. They are under the Hwy 64 bridge, which is where the only open water is. They are now no longer being fed since they are not in clear view of the public. That does not mean, however, that they do not exist. It only means people cannot see them and their problem as well as they could last week. They are starving and freezing to death and being killed by wandering dogs. They are domestic and geese like these have been raised in captivity since 1555. ( Wikopedia) The wonderful and gentle Toulouse Goose is originally from France and has been bred at least since the early 1800's. They are not wild, any more than your Persian cat! The thought of them being dumped on a pond, now frozen solid, is distressing, and not only for me.



( Photo: Two of my rescued domestic geese. They gray goose in the back is from Wausau. He was found under a bird feeder in 40 below F. temperatures last winter, no longer able to move. )

If anyone can help PLEASE call or email or just GO and get them. This is an urgent issue. We can address the broader issue of abuse and "dumping" of geese and other animals at another time. Through, in part, the great work of the Humane Society of the United States and local agencies, people finally understand the problem of abusing domestic animals and even farm animals to some degree, but avian species seem not to have reached the radar of most rescue facilities yet. These birds are intelligent and sensitive as well, and wondering what they did wrong, except grow up.
715-623-4015 ( clinic)
Thanks. I hate to "dump" this on our readers but I am not able to go and get these birds. I want to but cannot.

Marge Gibson 2010