Geese Gone Wild: Pedestrian Bitten By Goose in Derwood
Photo from iStock
It was a goose chase like no other in Derwood on Wednesday morning.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Spokesperson Pete Piringer tweeted that a pedestrian was attacked by a goose in the Shady Grove county bus lot. The lot is located on 16600 Crabbs Branch Way.
According to Piringer, the pedestrian was bitten and was transported to a nearby hospital. He’s being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
A spokesperson for Montgomery County Police confirmed that it was a male goose who bit the pedestrian; the goose was surrounded by other geese. The spokesperson was told that male geese are known to be very protective of their families.
The goose probably felt threatened by a combination of the noisy streets, pedestrians walking by quickly on their cell phone, and bit the pedestrian in response, said the MCPD spokesperson.
Update – Crabbs Branch Way, @mcfrs EMIHS transporting 1adult Pri3, NLT injuries (animal bite) https://t.co/8M5clQbZoa
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 3, 2019
Here’s some aerial footage of the aftermath from Fox 5.
https://www.facebook.com/fox5dc/videos/2570115826397090/
It is just this time of year that geese pair up and mate (if a pairing has not already occurred). Fertilized eggs are being hatched.. and those eggs may not be far away. So, aggressive territoriality is specifically seasonal. Hatching will be in April.
First, the news video was like watching paint dry. Second, first commenter is right on. When my sis-in-law had geese, the time to watch out was now. She would pick up the male goose to show dominance – we’d kick them if they got too close.