Not every day a group of strangers comes together for a common cause.
But that's exactly what happened on Saturday (April 30) when a group of animal lovers rescued a trio of baby geese using kitchen tools — and some ingenuity.
The rescue was reported by Port Coquitlam councillor Laura Dupont, who witnessed the effort and posted it to her Facebook page.
Among those first on the scene was Priya Singh, who with her partner, were walking their dog along Dominion Avenue near Carnoustie Golf Club when they saw a mother goose and 10 goslings walking in circles.
Singh immediately sensed something was wrong because the goose family wouldn't leave the area, which was a property where a house was recently demolished.
"It’s a big site, a big property, and they were just walking around," said Singh.
What to do if you find an injured bird or animal
A closer look at the property revealed that three goslings were stuck in a pipe.
Singh said she called Dupont, who's also her mother-in-law, in the hopes the civic official could get help from a city worker.
She then called her friend Jane Thomsing, who is noted for her work with the Colony Farm Regional Park Association, thinking she knew how to safely handle goslings.
"We wanted to know if we touched the babies if they would be accepted by their mother," recalled Singh.
Other neighbours soon joined in to help — one ran home to get a soup ladle and a spatula — and the city worker arrived as well.
Dylan Webb, assisted by Asalah Youssef, were among those who tried to use the ladle to lift the goslings out of the pipe.
One baby goose was retrieved and he seemed a little shocked, said Singh. "He wouldn't move," she recalled.
But soon the city worker managed to take the top off the pipe and, using the soup ladle, managed to grab the remaining two goslings.
No one wanted to leave the goslings to fend for themselves
The baby geese were placed on the ground, and all three "ran toward their mother," said Singh.
It was a job well done for everyone, in all as many as 10 people stepped up, helping in the rescue effort.
Singh never did get to walk her dog but instead stuck around to ensure a good outcome.
Everyone was worried and nobody wanted to leave the goslings as evening approached.
When they all waddled off with the female goose, it appeared the rescue mission was a success.
"My heart wouldn’t let me leave," said Singh.
According to Thomsing, who is an animal rescue volunteer, this is the time of year when people will come into contact with wildlife, including injured animals or birds.
“This is a very very busy time of year with nesting season and the baby birds have the best chance of survival with their mother."
She suggests if anyone has questions to contact www.wildliferescue.ca or crittercarewildlife.org who rely on donations to rehabilitate injured wildlife.
