I've been keeping an eye on this injured goose for a couple of months now. One wing is broken or dislocated, it droops when folded and won't extend fully. When the goose flaps its wings, it just goes in circles and can't get off the ground. It wasn't a problem until the pond froze over and all the other geese left, but now poor Droopy is left behind, all by himself on the ice. I scatter bird seed on the ground for crows, turkeys, and geese and so Droopy has been coming out of the pond to feed, but he never goes far from the edge of the pond and is very wary of people. As soon as he sees me, he scuttles away. Now the pond is frozen and there is snow covering the grass, the only food Droopy can get at is the bird seed. I'd really like to catch Droopy and take him to a vet - maybe the wing can be mended and a re-habber can keep Droopy until spring - but if its a hopeless case, at least the vet can end Droopy's suffering. Does anyone have any ideas on how to catch a wild goose?

I am coming to the conclusion that Droopy does not want to be helped. He's been sitting on the ice in the middle of the pond for two days and not making any attempt to get to the bird food. I can't reach him because the ice is not thick enough to support my weight. He's still alert - his head is up and he's looking around - but I think that soon he'll be too weak to walk through the snow to edge of the pond. I'm saddened, but it looks as if he has made his choice and is just waiting for whatever comes next.

Well, the goose that can't fly is still with us. The temperature went down to -20C/-4F last night, and much to my astonishment Droopy was blithely wandering around on the frozen pond this morning. I have tossed some corn onto the ice in case he's looking for food. He still is too scared to approach me, though.

@JuneOntario have you contacted any wildlife rescue or rehab people? Here is a link for those dealing with waterbirds in Ontario. They may have some good suggestions for Droopy and you .
http://www.ontariowildliferesc...

This one does tell how to catch a goose! Videos too!
http://www.lovecanadageese.com...

Thanks, Judy. I watched the videos. The geese involved both seemed to have trouble with running, but alas Droopy has nothing wrong with his legs and can move fast. Unfortunately, my DH is not physically able to run, and I have arthritic knees and so I run rather slowly. Neither of us has a chance of keeping up with a sprinting goose. I guess what we need is to find a young, athletic person!

The closest wildlife center listed on the Ontario website is about an hour-and-a-half drive from us. Our local Humane Society used to offer wildlife rescue, but the trained wildlife volunteers (one of whom was my DH) are both now disabled, and the Society has not yet found anyone to replace them. There are a couple of rehab places in this area, so if we can catch Droopy, and his wing is fixable, we should be able to find shelter for him.

At the moment, Droopy is staying on the ice and won't come near a human. The pond froze only recently, and the ice has thin patches where the stream current runs, so it is not safe to have people on it. If the situation changes, I'll phone the wildlife center and ask if they can send help and a net. I'm very grateful for your advice!

Oh! That is so sad. I hope you can get him rescued. Do keep us posted.

June, out our way, we call Animal Control. I know it doesn't sound like the most humane organization (dog catcher comes to mind) but they are. They rescue animals and, if necessary, will get them to an organization that will help them.

I live in a rural, small town, but I realize that it might be different out your way.

Regardless, if animal control can capture the poor thing, and they're willing to give it to you so that you can drive it to the rescue facility, that might be helpful. Let them do the difficult work, right?

I hope Droopy will be okay.

Thank you for your suggestion, Joanna, about the local services. We live out of town, but the Township area we live in has a Canine Control Officer. I went to the Township website, but it says he only catches dogs, nothing else. I then checked the County website, but it seems to have outsourced animal control to an exterminator who permanently eliminates nuisance animals, unless they are birds of prey, which apparently he likes enough to try to save. Geese are on his "nuisance" list, unfortunately. Then I thought, if I'm going to try and get the goose to a rehabber, maybe a rehabber can tell me who to call. So, I have e-mailed the closest rehab place. , they will be able to steer me in the right direction.

JuneOntario said:Thank you for your suggestion, Joanna, about the local services. We live out of town, but the Township area we live in has a Canine Control Officer. I went to the Township website, but it says he only catches dogs, nothing else. I then checked the County website, but it seems to have outsourced animal control to an exterminator who permanently eliminates nuisance animals, unless they are birds of prey, which apparently he likes enough to try to save. Geese are on his "nuisance" list, unfortunately. Then I thought, if I'm going to try and get the goose to a rehabber, maybe a rehabber can tell me who to call. So, I have e-mailed the closest rehab place. , they will be able to steer me in the right direction.

Wish this were easier for you June. I hope you'll end up with one happy goose.

Good news! The rehabber will put together a team of volunteers to round-up Droopy as soon as the pond ice is thick enough to support their weight. All I have to do is keep feeding him corn until then. I have an old cat-cage to put him in, and I figure that if he's eating corn in a particular spot, and I place the cage nearby, he'll get used to seeing the cage and not be scared of it. That's the plan, and I feel a lot better now I know that someone is willing to help me rescue Droopy.

You may be thinking it's a lot of trouble to go to just for a common Canada goose, but there's something tragic and brave about a creature that's deserted by friends and family, has no hope of escaping predators, and yet, despite his loneliness and fear, keeps on trying to survive.

I totally agree with you! I hope the rehab folks can get him/her and save it. It's not like they're scarce, but as birds go they are rather unique, in that they do mate for life. As with humans, that's pretty rare. There are quite a few that stay down here year round(like to many humans), but the geese don't cause any problems...just graze on the grass and don't bother anything.

YAAY! This is good news all around. Good for you for doing all this. S/he is probably staying out on the ice to stay away from predators which speaks to its drive to live. Good for you!

So glad you stayed with it. When they come to take him/her, I hope you'll be able to take some pictures so that we can share in your success.

Meanwhile, here's a little something to keep you holding on. You might have to really enlarge it to see the sweetest part.

Thank you for being so caring to wildlife, @JuneOntario. I hope Droopy makes a full recovery.

Thanks, everyone, for your interest and encouragement! The rescue will depend on a lot of factors: the ice thickening, predators staying away, Droopy continuing to eat, and the rehabber finding enough volunteers. Since only one wing cups air, if Droopy flaps his wings while running away, he'll just go in a circle, which should make him easier to catch! If all goes well, I'll try to take pics of the rescue. Whatever the outcome, I'll let you all know.

An unseasonable thaw melted some of the pond ice yesterday, unfortunately. However, the combination of warm air and strong wind also melted a lot of snow, revealing patches of green grass, and Droopy was able to graze on the lawn. Today, the weather is back to normal - below-freezing and snowing - but Droopy still has an appetite and this morning he fed on the corn I scattered on the ground. If I can get him feeding in that spot regularly, I'll try putting the wire cage in that area during the daytime to get him accustomed to the sight of it.

This morning when I went out to feed the birds, I could not see Droopy anywhere. In case he had walked upstream, I went over to the bridge to look for his footmarks, and there - clearly marked in the fresh snow - were coyote tracks. Oh no! I ran back to the house, grabbed binoculars, and scanned the ice for feathers or blood, but didn't see any. Then I noticed a dark shape huddled in shadow against the trunk of a weeping willow tree at the edge of the ice. It was Droopy, presumably traumatized, but unhurt.

It took him a few hours to get up the courage to come out of hiding, but I guess fear made him hungry, because he's eaten corn three times today. I'm noticing he keeps nodding and shaking his head, like geese do when they are communicating with each other. Is he talking to himself, like a castaway alone on a desert island? Maybe I should get him a goose decoy to keep him company, and call it Wilson.

JuneOntario said:I'm noticing he keeps nodding and shaking his head, like geese do when they are communicating with each other. Is he talking to himself, like a castaway alone on a desert island? Maybe I should get him a goose decoy to keep him company, and call it Wilson.

Maybe s/he's thanking you!

How frightening that must have been for you both. Every time I see the mention of the weeping willow tree I can't help but think 'how appropriate'.

Perhaps after all this time (and food) Droopy is getting used to your presence. Certainly still fearful, but must recognize you as a benefactor, so to speak. Then again, I have absolutely no knowledge of geese and their sense of smell and sight.

What a story. I am praying for Droopy. What a relentless situation you are in. I am just so hopeful you will get to help him and give him some peace and companionship. Best of luck, and thank you for sharing.