Fourth straight year geese have nested on rooftop

It’s becoming a spring tradition, as for a fourth year in a row, the Animal Rescue League of Boston’s (ARL) Rescue Services Department was called upon this week to rescue a family of geese from the roof of the WGBH building in Brighton, MA.

For a video recap click here!

The rooftop is a seemingly perfect place to nest for these geese. There’s a garden, grass, and the birds are safe from other predators. However the danger lies in the fact that goslings can’t fly – there’s risk of falling, and if something were to happen to the adult geese, the goslings would have no direct access to a food source and would be unable to get off the roof on their own.

On this day, ARL rescue agents quickly corralled the female goose and her five goslings, but while it took several attempts to reel in the male, the family was soon ready to be relocated to a more suitable location.

With the Charles River close by, ARL rescue brought the family to the shore line right at the base of the Eliot Bridge and the family was reunited in the cool waters of Boston’s iconic river.

This type of rescue is common during the spring. Just this past weekend ARL Rescue Services relocated another family of geese in Brighton from a seven-story building – as with the WGBH geese, the geese were removed safely, the goslings were protected and are now living in their natural environment.

At the Ready

In 2017, ARL Rescue Services helped nearly 3,000 animals. As the only animal welfare agency in Massachusetts with a dedicated technical rescue department, these services are only possible thanks to your support.