The Northern Colorado Wildlife Center is a vital resource in the local community, going above and beyond to help all different kinds of animals that are in need on a day-to-day basis.

On Saturday (November 6), a team from the wildlife center was called to assist with an injured goose in Estes Park.

After using a net gun to safely capture the goose, the team observed that it was missing one of its feet. Besides that, there was an old wrap that was very tightly wound around the bird's leg that was causing swelling and preventing the injury from healing correctly. The NoCo Wildlife Center is unsure who originally wrapped the goose's leg, but believed it had been done at least two weeks prior. They estimated that the foot had also fallen off sometime within the last couple of weeks, after an extended period of being tangled in an old fishing line. The goose was suffering from severe pain and restriction to blood flow.

During the two-hour rescue, rehabbers spent time removing the wrap, as well as cleaning and assessing the wound on the goose's limb.

After some consultation, three rehabbers and one veterinarian decided that the best option would be to release the goose back into the wild. Despite missing one of its feet, the bird is expected to live a fulfilling rest of its life. The bird has access to fresh water and consistent food and even demonstrated that it was still capable of flying, so it'll have no problems keeping up with its flock. Rehabbers explained that if the goose had been taken to a refuge, it would have been automatically euthanized, so it's really awesome that they were able to save the animal's life.

Rehabbers stress how important it is that people who are unlicensed do not try to treat injured wildlife. If someone encounters a hurt animal, it's best they contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator instead of taking matters into their own hands.

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