A Canada Goose on the Loose

He tried everything: sneaking between legs when new visitors to the Wild Bird Fund in New York City came through the door, inspecting the small bathroom window to see if he could fit through it, searching behind the cages for a hidden entrance, and when none of that worked, longingly staring out the window to the blue sky. Our goose could not wait to be free.

At least his search for freedom meant he was feeling better. This Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) was found in Inwood, the northernmost neighborhood of Manhattan island. He was suffering from lead poisoning and unable to stand. As in humans, lead poisoning in birds causes weakness, lethargy, disorientation, and in high levels blindness, seizures, and death.

Waterfowl are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning because of the amount of lead shot and the number of lead sinkers that are found in their freshwater habitat. Although lead shot was banned nationwide for hunting waterfowl in 1991, it is still in use for hunting deer, and the spent shots are easily mistaken for pebbles that geese ingest to aid in digestion.

Lead fishing weights can also be mistaken for grit. In New York, lead sinkers weighing less than an ounce˗those that are most likely to be ingested˗have been banned, although old ones still remain at the bottom of lakes and sale of larger ones continues.

At the Wild Bird Fund, our patient was medicated to remove the lead from his bloodstream, and tube fed to help him bring his weight back up. Soon he was eating on his own. As he got stronger, so did his desire to find freedom any way he could.

After his round of medications was complete, we were able to successfully release this Canada Goose back to the North Cove wetlands in Inwood where he had been found. As happy as he was to fly back to his flock, feel the wind under his wings, and the water under his feet, we were even more thrilled to be able to finally grant him his wish.

−Sara Alaica

All Photos by Mansura Khanam

Help stop wildlife lead poisoning!

Hunters can replace lead shot, which is a neurotoxin, with copper bullets, and fishermen have an array of alternatives to lead sinkers, including weights, sinkers and jigs made of steel, bismuth, tin, tungsten, plastic, and a range of alloys.

In 2013 California became the first state to ban lead ammunition, which will be phased out by mid-2019. Lead poisoning has been a leading cause of death for the California Condor, and a significant factor in the decline of that population. In 1982, there were fewer than 25 left in the wild. A sustained government recovery program ensued, and as of May 2013, the population count of condors is at 435, including 217 in the wild.