The Huron River in Flat Rock, Michigan, is a gorgeous place to spend a summer day. During the busy season, park visitors can float down the river in kayaks and inner tubes, taking in the sights, letting the gentle current carry them downstream.
Recently,
five friends — Morgan, MaKenna, Jessica, Karmen and Kristina — were enjoying the river view from their inner tubes when Morgan noticed something “unexpected” out of the corner of her eye.
The girls paddled to shore and found a domestic Toulouse goose lying still in the dirt, likely dumped in the park by an uncaring individual. At first, the friends feared the worst. But then they saw the bird’s chest move just slightly.
She was alive, but she needed help — and fast.
Morgan and her friends wrapped the goose in what they had on hand, a beach towel, and nestled her safely in one of their inner tubes. As they made their way further down the river, they called bird rescues, trying to find care for the dying goose.
By the time they reached shore and returned to their cars, they'd connected with experts, who were already there, waiting. They transferred the bird into the capable hands of Serenity‘s Place Wildlife Rehab team members, who transported her to Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary for further care.
By the time the goose arrived at the sanctuary, staff members already had an oxygen tent and a heat lamp set up for her. Animal experts were pleased to see the goose improving, thanks to the girls’ efforts.
“The warmth from their towel and the comfort from the ride home seemed to give her a little stronger will to live,” the sanctuary wrote in a Facebook post.
Today, the goose remains at the sanctuary, where she’s happily settling in.
“[She’s] doing very well,” a representative from the sanctuary told The Dodo. “We feel very confident that her future is bright.”
