The Wildlife Center at the Dane County Humane Society is nurturing an interesting trio. Since early December, in the same room, they have a pelican, a swan, and recently, a goose.
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MADISON, Wis. -- The Wildlife Center at the Dane County Humane Society is nurturing an interesting trio. Since early December, in the same room, they have a pelican, a swan, and recently, a goose.
“Animal services caught him and brought him here, and turns out he had a fractured wing,” humane society public relations coordinator Lisa Bernard said.
The swan and pelican’s fractured wings will bind them to captivity. Until they find a facility that’ll take them, the nonprofit needs the community's help. A lettuce shortage has made the swan’s diet expensive; meanwhile, the pelican also lost half of his beak.
“It does take quite a bit to feed them, the pelican does eat a number of fish per day, and they’re about 6-8 inches long, and sometimes the swan steals the fish,” Bernard said with a grin.
The swan and pelican have become friends, stuck in closed quarters to avoid re-injury, Bernard said. The pelican was brought in more than two months ago after being found injured in Vernon County; the swan joined several weeks later after being found in neighboring Crawford County.
The goose, though, has a different gaggle.
Resident of a Middleton neighborhood found the goose in early January after his flock ditched him.
“Residents around the soccer field in Middleton noticed this goose was still hanging around even though his flock left, they were concerned, and they reached out to us, and after numerous tests, we found he had a broken wing too,” Bernard said.
The goose has since fully recovered and was released into the wild on Monday.
The American white Pelican and the trumpeter swan, though, wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild. Until then, their food bill stacks up.
“So as we’re looking for a permanent facility for these birds, we still have to feed them and give them the proper care and take care of them, so we asked for help, because it could be a month or more that they’ll be hanging out with us,” Bernard said.
They’re looking to raise $2,500 from the public. To contribute, click or tap here.
COPYRIGHT 2023 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
