On Nov. 8, I decided to take a walk heading north from the first bridge on Nick’s Island Road in West Creston. About a quarter of a mile down the road, an animal scurried down the side of the bank in a hurry to find refuge in the tall grass and escape from me. I went to investigate, and to my surprise and delight, it was a Canada goose.
The goose could walk, but was not able to fly. I immediately decided that I must help this goose, so I gently picked it up and tucked it under my arm for the walk back to my vehicle.
Every time a vehicle would drive by, this would frighten the goose and it would flap it wings and frantically move its feet. Once I was able to examine the goose, I found that it had blood on both sides of its chest, but its wings did not seem to be broken.
I tried to keep it warm and calm by wrapping a large towel firmly around its body. Once safely secured in the passenger seat, I drove the goose to the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area to ask for advice on what to do next. Two young men had a peek at the wounded goose and advised me to go to the Creston Veterinary Hospital for the goose to be thoroughly examined and treated.
Once I got there, the vet was able to examine the goose (that I had now nicknamed Milly), and they took her into their care for the night.
The next morning, I was very excited and a little worried to know the outcome. In anticipation, I called the vet to learn what had happened, and to my delight, they said that the goose is doing really well. It had been shot just under the left wing. Milly had survived the night and lived to see another day, thank goodness!
Hopefully, Milly will be let back into the wild, but time will tell. Hats off the Creston Veterinary Hospital!
- Patty Walters, Creston