Pierced by a fishing hook, rescued gosling to return to the wild soon

A gosling that was pierced by a fishing hook is recovering at the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C. in Burnaby.

A gosling is recovering well after having a fishhook removed from its leg and will return to the wild soon.

A member of the public found the injured Canada goose at Como Lake in Coquitlam last week, and brought it into the care of the Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C.

The hook had pierced through the young goose’s skin, leaving multiple puncture wounds, but it was easy to remove and didn’t leave any lasting damage, said co-executive director Linda Bakker. The gosling was put on antibiotics and pain medication and has been living at the rescue on Burnaby Lake.

If it weren’t for the organization’s help, however, the wound would have become infected and the gosling would not have survived, she said.

“An injury like this will always result in the worst case if we don’t intervene,” said Bakker.

Thankfully, the gosling is walking well and the charity hopes to release it soon, lest it imprint on humans. When baby geese are returned to the wild, rescuers find them a “foster family” with goslings of the same size, who usually accept the newcomer.

Bakker said the rescue serves as a reminder to keep nature clean and pick up any garbage you see.

“We see a lot of wildlife come in entangled in fishing line or fishhook injuries so of course we would like to let everybody know it happens, fishing line can break, to clean it up as much as you can,” she said. “If you’re not a fisherman and you see something in the water, or on the shoreline, please clean it up so wildlife can be safe.”

Instructions on what to do if you find an injured wild animal can be found on the Wildlife Rescue Association website.