Never underestimate what humans who work together can do to help an animal in need. That is the takeaway from the Wilson the Canadian goose saga.
After more than seven months, Wilson, the adult goose with the 80-centimetre (31-inch) arrow sticking out of its rump, has been captured, the arrow removed, and is now recovering with expert care.
The story began when Wilson, who was named by locals after the basketball in the movie Cast Away—was shot with the plastic arrow near Sechelt.
The arrow was embedded in the left flank of the goose, leaving the arrow trailing out behind its back end.
Concerned residents tried to capture the unfortunate goose there but were unsuccessful.
It was then spotted last summer in Squamish, in July, on the Mamquam Blind Channel by an area conservation officer, who alerted local agencies, according to a news release from Squamish naturalists who were involved in the goose’s tracking and rescue.
Local wildlife photographer Tim Cyr spotted and began tracking Wilson.
Cyr, with the help of other locals, followed Wilson's movements for months.
Rescue efforts were attempted but failed.
Concern increased that Wilson would succumb to the injury if he were to try to pull it out or it got snagged on something.
A team of experienced naturalists came together to help and later enlisted the assistance of wildlife biologist Myles Lamont of TerraFauna Wildlife Consulting Inc., who volunteered his time, expertise and specialized net gun.
At the start of the new year, Cyr hadn't seen Wilson around Squamish for a few weeks and was getting worried.
Then he got a call from someone in Furry Creek saying they had seen Wilson on the golf course there.
Cyr headed down to the area, and when he didn't see Wilson, he talked to a few folks in the area and asked them to be in touch if they saw the elusive goose.
On Jan. 14, the group of experienced naturalists—who don't want to be named in this story—made their way to Furry Creek.
Wilson recognizes Cyr and his car, so he had to stay hidden in some bushes during the capture so as not to scare the bird away.
This time, Wilson was gently captured on the golf course green with a net gun, which shoots a net around the animal to safely keep it from flying away.
While it was a team effort to track and rescue Wilson, it was Lamont who carefully snagged him, Cyr stressed.
The arrow was cut off as close to the bird’s body as possible to mitigate any potential risk of further injury to Wilson during transport.
Cyr said though it had been a long ordeal full of concern for Wilson, right when the goose was captured, he was more stunned than anything.
It wasn't until later that he felt happy about it.
"The next day, it finally kicked in, we got him. We finally got him," he said, heaping praise on all those involved along the way. "The whole group that caught this guy are just amazing. You know, they all volunteered their own time."
Wilson was taken to a veterinarian, Dr. Adrian Walton, at Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge for surgery and treatment.
Walton said Wilson may, in fact, be Wilhelmena, judging by its size, but it is too hard to tell.
The only way to be sure would be DNA testing, Walton said.
While the Dewdney hospital has seen some wild things in its time, this situation was a first for Walton.
“We've had raccoons with crossbows, but I can honestly say I've never had a Canada goose with an arrow,” he said, expressing frustration that the animal was shot with an arrow not meant for hunting that would only injure the bird.
He credited his veterinary technologists for their attention to Wilson and assistance in removing the arrowhead from the bird.
“We flushed it with diluted iodine and sewed it up, and within 20 minutes, he was back and awake and eating. So that was a great thing,” Walton recalled, adding that while there is the risk of infection with any injury, wildlife are resilient if they get the care they need in time.
“One of the things about wildlife is they're tough suckers. I mean, I've seen animals with horrible wounds that would have made me faint, and yet they just live normal lives,” he said.
“[Wilson is] on antibiotics … I don't expect there to be any issues.”
The now-arrowless Wilson made his way to MARS Wildlife Rescue, in Merville, north of Courtenay, on Vancouver Island, on Saturday.
After it has fully recovered, Wilson will be released in the Squamish or Furry Creek area.
Those involved with the rescue of Wilson suggest anyone interested in helping with its care donate to MARS.
While most of the folks involved in this story volunteered their time and services, immediate expenses are medications, laboratory testing, X-ray, and field expenses, including replacement net and net gun cartridges.
The arrow has been turned over to the BC Conservation Officer Service (COS) for investigation. Anyone with any information regarding this incident can contact the RAPP 24-hour hotline at 1-877-952-RAPP (7277).
