Ruffled Feathers Parrot Sanctuary Inc.
Where Hope Takes Flight
Goose Versus Man: The Great Goose Incident
This Goose Wing Injury Story almost did not get written. What started as a routine week at the sanctuary turned into a strange chain of events involving a duck bite, an infected hand, a hawk encounter, and finally a goose rescue accident that landed me in the hospital. Looking back, I should have known the day was going to be interesting.
The Duck That Started This Goose Wing Injury Story
To explain this story properly, I need to back up a couple of weeks.
One morning I stepped outside to let the dogs out and check on the birds. Instead, I found a duck in a dog’s mouth.
That is not how most mornings begin.
This wasn’t a little dog either. I yelled, and thankfully the dog dropped the duck immediately. The duck was fine and is still here today. What happened next surprised me even more.
Instead of running away, the duck came after me.
I won’t get into all the details, but it managed to bite my hand before retreating in defeat.
At the time, it seemed like nothing.
Two weeks later, it wasn’t.
Goose Wing Injury Story Side Quest: The Dog Bite
The pain from the bite never completely disappeared, but it wasn’t enough to worry about.
Then suddenly it was.
My hand started hurting badly. My fingers swelled up and quickly turned an alarming shade of green. It looked rough, and honestly, it is still bothering me while I type this.
Thankfully, antibiotics seem to be winning the battle.
Don’t misunderstand the situation though.
I’m definitely a werewolf now.
Stay away from me at night.
Actually, stay away during the day too. Better safe than sorry.
Animal bites can sometimes lead to serious infections if not treated promptly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidance on animal bite prevention, wound care, and when medical attention may be necessary.
The rescue crew ended up dragging me in for medical attention to make sure all my shots were up to date. Had anything serious been involved, things could have turned out much worse.
I don’t particularly enjoy telling people that a dog nearly took me out.
The duck with angel wing that started all this has lived here for years. He hates my guts, but I still wasn’t about to let him become lunch.
I’d also prefer not to become lunch myself.
The Dog Nobody Believes Was That Big
I’ve heard it repeatedly since then.
“Brad, it probably wasn’t that big.”
“You just got scared.”
Well, they got one part right.
I was scared.
I’ve owned wolf huskies. We currently have two Great Danes. I’m not exactly unfamiliar with large dogs.
This one was different.
Anything capable of smashing through a gate that has kept humans out for years is something I don’t particularly want to meet again without being prepared.
Thankfully, enough time has passed that it hasn’t become a repeat performance.
Lou Lou Comes Home Before the Goose Rescue Accident
Now back to the goose story.
Coming home one evening, we spotted Lou Lou wandering through the neighborhood.
Lou Lou has a habit of trying to return to his old stomping grounds, which unfortunately involves miles of roads, traffic, and trouble between here and there.
He was never going to make it.
So we scooped him up and brought him home.
I honestly think this may be his final escape attempt. Lately he has been practicing wing flaps and running laps around the yard. If he eventually gets strong enough to fly away on his own, I’ll be happy for him.
That night we placed him in the garage with another goose we were caring for.
The next morning brought another surprise.
Canada geese can be surprisingly strong and territorial, especially during breeding season. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology All About Birds offers excellent information about goose behavior and migration patterns.
Before the Goose Rescue Accident: The Goose Party
I walked outside to let the dogs out and saw four or five geese suddenly launch themselves from our koi pond.
For a split second my heart sank.
I thought all of our handicapped geese had somehow abandoned us overnight.
Then reality kicked in.
Our handicapped geese can’t fly.
Some of them can’t even see.
They were all still right where they belonged.
Apparently, the neighborhood geese had simply thrown themselves a party.
The problem was they forgot the most important rule of every party.
Everybody is supposed to be gone before the parents wake up.
Maybe nobody ever taught them.
They’re geese.
Goose Wing Injury Story Detour: A Hawk Sends a Message
As I continued my morning chores between the aviaries, a hawk suddenly exploded from a nearby tree.
It missed my face by inches.
The bird landed nearby and stared directly at me.
Now maybe I’m imagining things, but I’ve often wondered if some of the hawks we help remember us.
I’ve transported quite a few for treatment over the years.
Maybe this one recognized me.
Maybe not.
Either way, it stood there staring long enough to make me wonder.
Then again, I’ve seen hawks make some questionable decisions.
One once chased a pigeon straight through a gate opening.
The pigeon adjusted course slightly and flew right through.
The hawk tried the exact same maneuver.
Hawk down. Birds of prey have remarkable eyesight and hunting abilities. The National Audubon Society provides educational resources about hawks and other native raptors found throughout Kentucky.
Goose Versus Man: The Wing Trim Accident
Eventually Tara and I headed into the garage.
Lou Lou was sitting comfortably on top of a feed tote beside the skinny goose.
I picked him up to do a routine wing trim.
I’ve done this countless times.
Normally it takes seconds.
This time was different.
Maybe it was the strange feeling in the air.
Maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention.
Maybe Lou Lou was showing off for his female guest.
Whatever the reason, he slipped loose.
The next thing I knew, he unloaded five or six powerful wing strikes.
I’ve been wing-slapped by plenty of birds before. A pigeon once nearly broke my hand with a well-placed hit.
This hurt much worse.
Then I felt blood running down my face.
For a moment I couldn’t figure out what had happened.
Then I remembered the scissors.
The scissors that had somehow disappeared from my hand.
It turns out one of my closest goose friends had effectively used my own scissors against me.
Lou Lou hit me hard enough that the scissors were driven into my head, leaving a nasty cut. At that point, this Goose Wing Injury Story had officially gone from funny sanctuary chaos to “maybe we should get Brad checked out.”
A Wildlife Rescuer Injury and a Long Day at the Hospital
Thankfully, we had an ER nurse right there.
The bleeding was stopped quickly, and before long I was spending the day getting scanned and monitored.
After a long day and a lot of waiting, the verdict was encouraging.
I was going to be okay.
The doctors seemed confident my brain could spare a little extra real estate.
My coordination, however, appears to be taking the scenic route back.
I’ve noticed it during recent rescue calls.
Movements that used to be automatic suddenly require effort.
Things are improving.
Just not as quickly as I’d like.
Why My Brain Never Shuts Off
While recovering from this Goose Wing Injury Story, I was also supposed to be building an AI system to help manage rescue calls.
Volunteer tracking.
Wildlife calls.
Triage decisions.
Resource management.
Finding the closest available volunteer.
The entire project is currently sitting unfinished while I recover and catch up.
For me, unfinished projects feel like piles of dirty laundry.
If everything stays organized, life feels manageable.
When things pile up, they sit in the back of my mind constantly demanding attention.
That’s probably the best explanation I can give for why my brain never seems to stop running.
No Hard Feelings After the Sanctuary Life Story
Lou Lou is still loved.
There are no hard feelings.
He didn’t know he was about to become a gang-affiliated murder goose.
The whole thing was an accident.
Most likely it was my fault for not paying enough attention.
Or maybe I was talking too much.
Nah.
That couldn’t possibly be it.
By the time I finished telling this story, I had apparently been informed of two important facts.
First, I’m a dumbass.
Second, we don’t even have landline phones anymore.
There are no phone jacks.
There are no phone cords.
There aren’t even phones attached to walls.
Which raises one final question.
What year is it again?
Final Thoughts
I didn’t originally want to tell this story.
I wanted to wait until I knew for certain everything was going to be okay.
The good news is that I am okay.
I’m healing.
I’ll continue healing.
Life at a sanctuary is never boring, and sometimes the animals we love most are the ones that accidentally remind us how fragile we really are.
So enjoy your day, everyone.
And if a goose offers to help with a haircut, maybe politely decline. If you encounter injured wildlife, always contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for guidance. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources offers information about native wildlife and conservation programs across the state.
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