CARMEL – A Carmel woman is asking ‘who shot a goose?’ after she found an injured person.
Nancy Tatum is an animal lover she looks forward to when Canada Geese calls her backyard home. Earlier this week, she said she found a goose trying to get up.
“She couldn’t get up,” Tatum said, “She tried to get away from me and fell down. I thought it wasn’t good at the time, so I had to put her in the crate.”
Tatum then took the goose to a local wildlife rehabilitation center and X-rayed it.
Tatum said: ‘X-ray pictures showed she had small pellets in her body.
Back in 2020, Some residents in the vicinity of Tatum want to eradicate the Goose that frequent the ponds located there. The problem has been solved and the geese still call the community home.
Tatum wanted to use this goose shot with a BB gun as a teaching moment.
“I want people to realize that you know you’re not supposed to hurt these birds and that if it causes it, you can be prosecuted,” Tatum said.
While Canada Goose is sighted throughout the Midwest, this was not the case just 50 years ago. According to the DNR, the Canadian Goose is nearly extinct in the Midwest, now protected through the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
“It’s technically illegal to shoot at Canada Goose – it’s technically illegal,” said Jessica Merklin, an Indiana DNR urban wildlife biologist. “You can’t do that during the off-season and none of our licenses will allow that.”
According to Natural resources Department, One way to keep geese off your property is to remove the nests and eggs. But you must get a permit through the US Fish and Wildlife Service to remove those nests. You can find that link on IN.gov.
“In June and July, Canadian geese actually molt so they can go anywhere,” says Merkling.
To the person who shot the goose saved by Nancy Tatum, she has a message.
“The eyes are watching… I would put it that way,” said Tatum.
According to the DNR, killing or attempting to kill a goose is a crime punishable by up to 60 days in prison and a fine of up to $500. In general, if you find a goose or wild animal in need of care, you should take it to a qualified wildlife rehabilitation center. Click this for a listing in Indiana.
As for the goose that Tatum found, it is currently at a wildlife rehabilitation center and is back in health care.
