A Canada goose named Wilson — who spent months with an arrow lodged in his rump — is finally flying free.
The bird was released Sunday at Squamish’s Brennan Park field, where dozens had gathered to cheer him on to freedom.
As the cage door opened and Wilson took a few tentative steps, he turned toward a nearby flock of geese and took flight, marking the end of a months-long rescue effort that brought together a local photographer, veterinarians, wildlife rescuers, and an entire community.
“I’m glad to see him finally get a second chance at life,” said Tim Cyr, the Squamish photographer who has been a key figure in leading the rescue effort.
Wilson the goose drew public attention after being found last year with an arrow lodged in his back. After months of treatment, he was released back into the wild today. CBC’s Sohrab Sandhu was there to capture the dramatic moment.
The goose, which was named after the volleyball in the movie Cast Away, was shot with a training arrow with a blunt point near Sechelt last year.
He eventually made his way to Squamish, where he was tracked by Cyr for about seven months.
Despite multiple attempts to catch him with nets, Wilson kept slipping away, Cyr says.
“We tried lots of different ways to catch him with nets and blankets and whatnot,” he told CBC News.
In October last year, Cyr launched a GoFundMe campaign to purchase a net gun, a humane capture tool that shoots a net over the animal, that brought in $3,300. The Wildlife Rescue Association of B.C. bought the equipment and Wilson was finally captured in January.
Wilson was taken to Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge, where veterinarian Dr. Adrian Walton removed the arrow and treated the wound it left behind.
“There was a large hole that had been left behind,” he said. “And that was the big fear that this hole would continue to putrify and become an abscess and that the recovery would be delayed.”
But after weeks of treatment, Wilson was transferred to MARS Wildlife Rescue near Courtenay on Vancouver Island, where he spent more than two months recovering.
“He was very feisty didn’t like any of us very much, just like any other goose,” said Dylan Doucet, a volunteer at MARS. “But he had more energy than average considering what he’d been through.”
Doucet got to know Wilson’s temper firsthand.
“At least 10 bites. I would say during the time that I dealt with them, but that’s to be expected in the job.”
Doucet helped transport Wilson back to the Lower Mainland for the release on Sunday.
Before letting him go, Dr. Walton gave Wilson one final checkup and the all-clear to fly.
“The feathers have come back,” Walton said. “There’s a little scar tissue, but no damage.”
Cyr then opened the cage as onlookers watched quietly. Wilson hesitated for a moment, then stepped out and flew straight toward a waiting flock of geese.
All Points West9:55“Wilson” the Canada goose is recovering in a Vancouver Island wildlife rescue
The Canada goose with an arrow sticking out of its backside was spotted by a wildlife photographer in Squamish. Efforts to rescue the bird took seven months, but this week it was caught and is now recovering in a Vancouver Island wildlife centre. MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre president Warren Warttig explains.
Cyr said he was hoping for a proper goodbye.
“I kind of expected him to give me a little bite or something,” he said. “He knows me pretty well.”
Walton, standing nearby, was visibly emotional.
“I only get to see the worst parts,” he said. “So being able to experience the good parts has been a huge, huge plus for me.”
As the goose rejoined his flock, Walton imagined what Wilson might be thinking.
“I think he is just sitting there going, ‘Dude, I have a story for you — you don’t want to know what happened to me over the last few months.'”
Wildlife photographer Tim Cyr and veterinarian Adrian Walton recount the moment they worked together to catch a Canada goose named Wilson and remove an arrow from its backside.