Cary police rescue Gregg da Goose after bird becomes entangled in netting
They get a bad rap for pooping in parks, but geese can also be injured by what people leave behind.
Monday afternoon, Cary’s Animal Services police officers responded to a call from Downtown Cary Park about a goose with plastic netting stuck around its beak.
Officer Anita Koziarski captured the Canada goose with a net gun, and supervisor Chuck Haggist cut away the netting, left over from landscaping when the park’s pond was installed.
“(The netting) is put down to hold erosion,” Haggist said. “But the town of Cary has since removed all of the netting so this won’t happen again.”
Haggist said Animal Services got calls about the goose Friday but it took time to get officers and the necessary equipment to the park. He doesn’t know how long the netting was on the bird’s beak.
Park visitors who watched the half-hour rescue named the bird Gregg da Goose. Officers returned the bird to its flock after the rescue.
Downtown Cary Park opened in November on 7 acres surrounded by Walker, Academy, Park and Walnut streets. It has several nature features, including a botanical garden and detention pond, which attracts animals. The detention pond was also designed as a stormwater feature to help collect site runoff and alleviate flooding issues for downstream properties.
Geese and ducks are found all over the state, Haggist said. Over 100,000 Canada geese, distinguished by their black bill, legs, head and neck with a white cheek patch that covers the throat, live in North Carolina.
The rescue brought a reminder from Animal Services asking visitors not to feed wild animals at the park and to place all trash in available bins.
This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 12:24 PM.