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Goose shot with a dart is being cared for by IBRRC's Fairfield bird center. (Photo: Marie Travers/IBRRC) |
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A second domestic goose, shot through the head with a dart at the Vacaville Lagoon, is now in care at International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) in Cordelia. Two weeks ago a citizen called IBRRC to report a goose at Lagoon Valley with "wire in its head". A rescue team left immediately to find the goose but was unable to. Animal control also received calls about the bird and tried on three different occasions to capture it. Finally, on Saturday April 26th, a member of the public was able to capture the victim and notify animal control, who brought the goose to IBRRC. The dart was successfully removed and the goose is undergoing treatment at the center. She is thin and will be given antibiotics to ward off possible infection. The first goose was captured on February 10. It is the same species, a Graylag, and the same type of dart. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is offering a reward of $2,500. Animal cruelty is a felony in California. A good home with other graylag geese would provide a happy ending for this bird.
The Vacaville Lagoon has become a dumping ground for unwanted domestic ducks and geese, typically bought at Easter when pet shops and feed stores begin selling buying live baby ducks, chicks, goslings and rabbits. Unable to resist the cuteness, people buy these animals on impulse and then realize what they have gotten into.
Every year IBRRC warns of the dangers of buying birds on impulse and the CDC warns of the danger of children becoming ill with Salmonella poisoning from handling baby ducks and chicks. Bacteria carried in the chicks and duckling’s intestine contaminates their environment and the entire surface of the animal. Children can be exposed to the bacteria by simply holding, cuddling, or kissing the birds
Not only is there potential harm to children from this tradition, but environmental havoc as well. Domestic ducks released into public parks, like Lagoon Valley Park in Vacaville, can transmit diseases to wild flocks.
The ducklings and goslings that are sold at Easter are domestic birds that cannot fly, and cannot “fend for themselves.” They can and do carry diseases that endanger wild ducks and geese. Domestic ducks also mate with wild ducks, creating hybrids. Wildlife rescue centers don’t typically take these hybrids, and animal shelters are not equipped to handle waterfowl.
“Not only is cruel for these baby animals to be sold without any regard for proper care, but it creates tremendous problems later, when the animals that do survive are either “dumped” in public parks or dropped off at local animal shelters”, said Karen Benzel, Public Affairs Director for International Bird Rescue Research Center. “
Abandoned ducks and geese are typically starving, due to their inability to fly to find food. People mean well when they bring big bags of bread and crackers and it is difficult for them to understand that they are killing the birds with their kindness. Bread fills the birds up, swelling in their stomach, but providing no nutritional value. Birds that can’t fly can only go as far as they can walk. Stale bread from an occasional visitor may be their only meal.
For the complete article “No Escape from Harsh Reality” which explains in detail the differences between domestic and wild ducks and the issues domestic ducks face when forced to “fend for themselves go to IBRRC’s website at: http://www.ibrrc.org/abandoned_ducks_geese.html For more information about animal cruelty and the law please visit the Humane Society of the United States website at: www.hsus.org.
Media links
Shot In Head With 4-Inch Dart
IBRRC has been helping birds around the world for 37 years. IBRRC’s northern California Headquarters is located at 4369 Cordelia Road, Fairfield, 94534. Phone 707-207-0380. Its Southern California center is located at 3601 South Gaffey, San Pedro. Phone 310-514-2573. IBRRC is a member of California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) and responds to international oil spills in partnership with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
More information and directions to the centers can be found at http://www.ibrrc.org/. Donations to help pay for the cost of caring for the birds may be sent to IBRRC, 4369 Cordelia Road, Cordelia, CA 94534 or on through the donation page on the website.
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