Sunday Reader: Clovis residents get their goose – and save it

Let me tell you the story about Sweden, a female Canadian goose with a will and determination to live.

During the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020, Sweden survived because of the care and concern from a woman named Jo Stallings.

Jo lives on the golf course in Clovis and routinely feeds corn to the waterfowl that winter over in the golf ponds behind her house.

Jo began watching a particular goose during feeding times and realized it was hobbling. On closer inspection, she saw that it had gotten fishing line around both legs; thus, the hobbling.

This was early in the summer of 2020. As the days and weeks and months passed, Jo noticed the goose slowing down and lagging behind the rest of the flock, with its hobbling worsening. The right leg was considerably worse than the left, with swelling.

Jo called my husband Mike Rowley, a physician, and me, a biologist, over to check on the goose. We all agreed something had to be done to help.

Mike decided he was going to net the goose in order to free the legs from the fishing line. By this time Jo had grown fond of the goose and had named it Sweden.

On Nov. 13, 2020, a cool, chilly day, Mike, Tish McDaniel (another biologist) and myself were standing in Jo's back yard looking for Sweden. For about a month, Sweden would fly into Jo's back yard and onto her patio until she came out to feed it each morning, afternoon and evening.

As we stood there watching for the goose, I saw something fly by me out of the corner of my eye. I slowly turned around and there on the grass near Jo's patio was Sweden.

Mike, Tish and I were unable to say anything. Mike quietly went to the car to get his long-handled fish net. Promptly, Mike was able to get the net over Sweden, and Tish and I ran to the goose to make sure it did not try to fly off.

Tish and I began removing what we could of the fishing line from its legs, but it was embedded so deeply we weren't able to remove much without the help of surgical scissors.

It was then a group decision to take Sweden to the Hillcrest Park Zoo in Clovis. With Sweden safely secure in a pillowcase we transported the goose to the zoo.

Zoo personnel told us that even if the goose lost the swollen leg, it would still be able to function normally. We felt relieved knowing Sweden was in good hands.

About an hour later, Mike and I went back to the zoo to check on Sweden and were happy to learn that all of the fishing line had been removed from its legs and that both legs were warm, meaning there was blood flow and the goose would keep both legs.

Here, the story gets interesting. The next day, Mike and I went again back to the zoo to check on Sweden and were told that while feeding the goose, it took off and flew away -- in 60 mph winds of all things.

Then zoo personnel said they received a call from Jo. After waking from a nap, she found Sweden on her patio as usual, waiting to be fed.

Sweden stayed with the flock and visited Jo's patio for another year. Her legs healed so well she became unrecognizable from the rest of the geese on the pond.

Happy trails, Sweden. Happy trails.