Antigo bird rescue wants answers after 2 eagles shot, swan dies, goose severely injured in central Wisconsin
Karen Madden
ANTIGO - It's been a difficult few days for Marge Gibson, founder of Raptor Education Group Inc., and her group of volunteers who care for birds that are injured in central Wisconsin.
In the past two weeks, two bald eagles have come in with gunshot wounds, a trumpeter swan was injured by snowmobilers, and a malnourished Canada goose with a head injury was brought in.
While the eagles and the Canada goose are recovering, the trumpeter swan died Tuesday morning.
The way the four birds have been treated is incredibly frustrating and hurtful, Gibson said. She thinks it's a reflection of what is happening in society.
"It's happening, unfortunately, very, very often, and it's worrisome," Gibson said.
‘It’s the symbol of our country, and yet, people are shooting them.’
On Monday night, Gibson drove through a snowstorm to pick up one of the bald eagles that had been shot in central Wisconsin. It was the second eagle with a gunshot wound the group received in a week.
It's not hunting season and it’s unlikely the shootings were accidents, Gibson said. She said she couldn't provide more information about where the eagles were shot because the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is investigating the incidents.
Gibson hopes she’ll be able to return the two bald eagles into the wild someday.
"It's the symbol of our country, and yet, people are shooting them," Gibson said.
On Monday night, REGI also admitted a Canada goose from the Kellner area in Wood County that had been kept in captivity, Gibson said. The goose weighed about half what a normal goose would weigh, and someone had hit it in the head, Gibson said.
It is fairly common for well-meaning people to take in a goose chick to care for it, Gibson said. They think they're helping the geese or that it will be a fun and educational activity for children or grandchildren, she said.
When the geese get big, they create large messes and are difficult for someone not trained in wildlife care to keep. The people will then release the birds, thinking they are doing a good thing by returning them to the wild, Gibson said.
Geese raised by humans can't return to the wild, Gibson said. Humans "imprint" on them, and they don't know they're geese.
Gibson said the goose also looked like someone took scissors and cut off the tip of the wing. Geese that don't get a proper diet will develop a condition commonly called angel wings, Gibson said. The feathers on the tip of the wings will bend upward and the birds can't fly. Gibson thinks that may have happened to this goose.
REGI staff are checking the goose for a brain injury — they believe someone had hit the goose in the head with something, Gibson said. If the goose survives, it won’t be able to return to the wild. Instead, it will stay in a large area at the Antigo facility.
Two weeks ago, a caller reported a snowmobile hit a trumpeter swan in Portage County. The person who hit the swan removed an identification band that had been put around the bird’s neck several years ago and left the bird to die, Gibson said. Gibson said she doesn't know why someone would remove the tag, but she fears the person may have wanted it as a type of trophy.
It's not uncommon for snowmobilers to leave marked trails and chase geese and swans at night, Gibson said. The birds aren't used to being active at night and are easy targets, she said.
Despite Gibson’s determination to not give up on the swan, the bird’s liver continued to bleed and the bird died Tuesday.
Penalties range from a fine to jail time.
Intentionally shooting, harassing or otherwise hurting wildlife is illegal, said Korey Trowbridge, DNR warden supervisor for Marathon, Portage and Wood counties. Depending on the bird or animal and the circumstances surrounding the injury, the penalties range from a fine to jail time. Some situations, like shooting a bald eagle, are federal offenses. A first-time offense for shooting a bald eagle can be punished by up to a year in prison, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Trowbridge said someone had called the DNR Monday about the Canada goose with a broken wing in Kellner. When a warden arrived, the goose was gone, Trowbridge said.
The DNR was not contacted about the trumpeter swan that was hit in Portage County, he said.
Wardens are contacting REGI to get more information about what happened to the trumpeter swan and the Canada goose, Trowbridge said. Keeping any wild bird or animal in a home without a permit is illegal, he said.
The two eagles that were shot were not in the area Trowbridge covers.
Trowbridge said anyone who has information about someone abusing wildlife or anyone who finds an injured animal should call the DNR tipline at 800-847-9367.
People who know of a bird being abused can report it and help solve the problem, Gibson said. To learn other ways to help, check out the REGI website.