NEW CANAAN, CT — New Canaan Animal Control and a company that deals with geese were able to help a goose with a fishing line caught around its wing in town this week.
Animal Control Officer Allyson Halm said the goose got snagged by a fishing line during the town’s annual fishing derby April 15 at Mill Pond.
“I started to receive reports about the goose with a lure hanging from its wing,” Halm said to Patch. “I went out and, sure enough, it was there. If it’s hanging out close to the water and you approach it, then it just dives into the water, so I had to get some help.”
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Halm said she started to receive reports about the goose the Tuesday after the derby and later contacted Geese Relief, a company that specializes in goose control and management.
After several unsuccessful attempts throughout the week to catch the goose, Chris Santopietro of Geese Relief was ultimately able to help catch the animal in the yard of a pediatrician’s office near Mill Pond and remove the fishing line from its wing.
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“The good news was the hook had only gotten caught up in feathers and was not embedded anywhere,” Halm said, “and the line that was wrapped around the wing and prevented it from flying did not embed anywhere, so we were able to really just untangle it and set it free.”
Halm said the goose was not injured by the fishing line, just unable to fly.
“I spoke to the organizers of the fishing derby,” Halm said, “and they assured me that they do their best to go around and collect as much line and anything that’s left, but unfortunately the truth is that animals are caught in fishing lines all the time down in the Sound, not just here of course.”
Halm urged residents to be conscientious when fishing in town by taking responsibility for their lines and doing their best to keep the area free of fishing line to prevent animals such as geese, ducks, hawks, osprey and seagulls from getting caught in it.
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