Family rescues 11 geese
SOPHIATOWN – Animal lovers rescue a family of geese in their residential area and request assistance with getting the geese a proper home.
A married couple came to the rescue of a group of geese who were walking on the road in Sophiatown on 20 September. The group of geese consists of an adult male and female with a flock of nine goslings.
Sophiatown resident Margie van der Berg heard the neighbour’s dogs barking loudly when she decided to investigate what all the commotion was about. “I discovered nine little geese and two adults wondering the streets. The road [Ray Street, about 1.5km from Westdene Dam] was very busy and I was concerned the geese may get run over by motorists,” she said.
Van de Berg led them into her yard to get out of harms way. The family of geese have been living in her back yard for a week since she rescued them. She and her husband Douw van der berg have attempted on a number of occasions to contact the SPCA to come and collect the geese but with no success.
“We are aware that it is against the law to keep stray wild animals hence we want to enlist the SPCA to assist us,” Douw said.
The animal lovers, who have a dog, request assistance with finding the geese a suitable home.
Van der Berg said this is not the first time they have discovered geese in the neighborhood. “Two months ago I spotted a different group of geese next to a church in my neighbourhood. Two good samaritans helped me put them in a box and drove them to the Westdene dam,” she said.
The couple said although they have bonded with the geese and enjoy seeing them grow in the short time they have been together, they believe the geese should be in their natural environment.
Johannesburg SPCA Inspector Larraine Sobuza said that in a case of this nature , residents should contact the SPCA for assistance with stray animals. It is against the law for them to keep them in their possession. “We will contact the residents and make the means to go collect the geese,” she said.
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