Fredericton firefighters attempt rescue of Canada goose

It's the season of giving even to those who don't want the help.

That's the motto a group of firefighters who stood by when they received a call about an injured goose that was stuck on top of someone's roof over the weekend.

The Fredericton Fire Department responded to a house on Victoria Street, where a Canada goose sat injured on top of someone's roof, late Saturday morning.

"They can be very testy," said David McKinley, deputy fire chief of the Fredericton Fire Department. "You see videos where they [geese] chase people around."

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McKinley said he wasn't sure where the bird's injury was located but there were spots of blood on the roof.

"I know a lot them go south," said McKinley. "But sometimes, some birds get left behind."

The fire department received the phone call from concerned citizens who were going to retrieve the goose themselves, but due to cold and slippery conditions, the fire department felt firefighters should get the bird down.

They attempted to do that with the help of an aerial ladder, a cage and some blankets.

But when firefighters finally reached the bird, it got away.

"It was spooked and jumped off and flew away," he said.

If firefighters were able to retrieve the bird, McKinley said the fire department was planning to keep it in a cage and notify the New Brunswick SPCA or the province's Resources Department, whichwasn't able to assist the goose until Monday.

McKinley said the fire department has received calls in the past to help rescue animals in tight spots throughout the capital region, but they've never received a call quite like this one.

"The firefighters are taking lots of flak of what they had for dinner that day," said McKinley.