The Goose That Swallowed Fishing Line

In late February, our veterinarian transferred a very sick Canada Goose to us. The goose was so emaciated that he had a hard time standing up, and had a large mass in his throat. The plan was to house him at our hospital until he had gained significant weight, then bring him back to the vet for an assessment and surgery to examine what exactly the mass in his throat was. Due to his emaciated state, it was unsafe for the goose to undergo surgery at this point.


The goose temporarily made a home with us for a couple of weeks, chowing down on high quality waterfowl food with fresh greens and vitamins. He enjoyed a daily bath, and due to our low patient load during this time, even had his own private room!

Early last week, the goose had gained significant enough weight, so we decided to bring him to our vet right away. A couple of hours later, our vet called and said the surgery was a success! The mass in his throat that we had all been wondering about was actually a large amount of fishing line that he had mistakenly swallowed. After about a week in recovery, he was released today in Locust Valley. We are so happy to have released an animal that was once in such serious danger!

Improperly discarded fishing line is a HUGE hazard to wildlife. We have admitted many injured animals that have been harmed by accidentally swallowing fishing line, or getting tangled in it. Marcus, one of our owl ambassadors, Too many animals die every year from the dangers of improperly discarded fishing line.

Photo credit: summitcountyvoice.com
This picture of improperly discarded fishing line shows how the line can
become easily concealed in grass, making it easy for an animal to get tangled
in it or accidentally ingest it when grazing on grass.

To learn more about wildlife and fishing line, please visit this link: http://www.helpwildlife.com/

To learn where to properly discard your fishing line, please visit any of these links:

http://townofhempstead.org/news/522-a-reel-way-to-recycle-fishing-line-in-hempstead-town-new-program-aimed-at-keeping-bays-tangle-free

http://www.goingcoastal.org/fishingline.html





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