LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has received plenty of calls regarding grounded geese in Lubbock. 75 of those calls came on Sunday alone.
Sarah Hollers, the center’s director, said the winter weather in Lubbock is not what’s keeping these geese grounded.
“What’s happening is these geese are flying and they’re losing the function of flight while in the air,” Hollers said, “so they’re essentially falling from the sky because of, most likely, avian flu. Avian flu attacks the brain and their spinal cord, so if they’re flying and they lose function, they’re just going to land.”
This continues a recent trend for the rehabilitation center. Hollers said the center has received more than 200 live geese and picked up 175 dead geese all over Lubbock since December.
“People are putting them in their car and they’re getting that really contaminated fluid, which will get humans, cats and children sick, on their car, on their clothes, on their shoes,” Hollers said.
Hollers said there’s a few key things that can make a sick goose stand out from a healthy one. First, a goose is almost always with its flock, so one that isn’t has most likely lost the ability to see.
Other things to look out for include geese suddenly dropping from the sky while in flight, walking in the middle of the street, and a discharge that can come from the eyes, nose, or mouth.
Both the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and Lubbock Animal Services are responding to calls about geese, but Hollers hopes people make sure to stay safe and take a step back when trying to assess the conditions of these birds.
“Calling us beforehand is a huge help so that we can walk them through the process,” Hollers said. “Wear gloves, put a mask on and put them into a container so it doesn’t get those fluids all over you, your car, your clothes, things like that.”
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