Thanks to help from a local fire department, a Canada goose wintering at Indiana Dunes State Park can now fly again after getting stuck along the icy shore of Lake Michigan.
There was a goose motionless near the edge of Lake Michigan when people found it. Waterfowl feathers began to feel like ice blocks when they touched the ground, leaving them unable to escape. Locals chipped in to help the stuck animal, but when they failed, they called in the pros. Before the fire crew arrived, bystanders retrieved blankets from their cars to warm the goose.
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In a message posted on Facebook on December. 26, Indiana DNR Law Enforcement said, “Indiana Conservation Officers received a report of a Canada goose that had become frozen in wet sand at Indiana Dunes State Park.”
In the caption, Indiana DNR Law Enforcement wrote: “Several Good Samaritans had already attempted to free the goose without success. Porter Volunteer Firefighters, Inc. was called to the Chesterton, Indiana, site to save the goose because the further danger was to the public, and the animal needed help.
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In one photo, a firefighter pointed a hose at the ground around the bird, letting the water melt away the ice that bound the bird to the ground. The post continued, “The goose has been safely removed from the frozen beach.” It has been transported to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility and veterinarian’s office for treatment.”
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement summarized the successful operation with “Great work all around!”