GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Sarah Young didn't think she would spend her afternoon trying to rescue a goose, but after seeing a post on Facebook showing his condition, she sprung to action.
She belongs to a network of people experienced in trapping and delivering animals to licensed rehabbers.
"The licensed rehabbers in our state are terribly busy right now. And they don't really have time to go out and capture or transport. And so they rely on some people like me that do a lot of capture and transport, and we've got a really great network of people. And we tend to reach out to each other."
Young says that the goose was found at Riverview Park in Grand Rapids, lying on the ground with a fishing lure stuck on his foot by a man at the park. A large group of volunteers came out, but the goose got scared off. The effort however is ongoing.
"And then we'll regroup but he's in good shape. He's eating, he's drinking, he's not at risk of death, he's just injured. We have veterinary care lined up and we have rehab lined up and everything will be okay."
After going through rehab, Young says the goal is to always return them to the environment they came from as long as it is safe. She says lure injuries on geese are not uncommon, and that people should throw away any loose lures they find.
"I've seen a few just in this group. So yeah, it's not terribly uncommon. If we're losing our lure when we're out fishing, they end up somewhere. And it's not always just stuck in a tree."
At the end of the day, she is proud to belong to a community of people looking to just do good.
"I've met like 50 people and here we are. So it really just shows me that people have good hearts and want to really help and that's terrific."
They are currently looking for volunteers with wildlife training or knowledge to assist in the effort, continuing tomorrow.
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