On 11/22/23, Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center captured and contained a local “celebrity” of sorts, Los Angeles’ resident Tundra Bean-Goose. They cite the bird had a pellet shot into its right wing. This capture is  upsetting and problematic for numerous reasons, and we are calling for the immediate release of the goose back from where it was captured.

The goose was first found in Lancaster, California (well outside of its normal range) in March of 2023. Being such a rare bird, many bird enthusiasts rushed to document and witness the bird. The many photos showed Tundra Bean-Goose had a droopy right wing, but was still managing to fly from Piute Ponds to the sewage reclamation plant. In mid-May, Bean-Goose ceased to be seen at its now preferred location of Apollo Park, and birders assumed the worst. Much to everyone’s surprise, the bird was discovered at Earvin Magic Johnson park, some ~90 miles away. It has continued to living there for the past 6 months, even doing a complete molt and feather regrowth in the process.

This begs the question, why would one capture a fully-healed goose 8 months after it was found? Debbie McGuire, the rehabilitation centers’ director, is quoted saying “we don’t know if it will ever be able to take up flight again because of the type of bird it is”. This is clearly untrue, as there are photos and videos of Bean-Goose flying at Piute Ponds, Apollo Park, and even it’s most recent home, Earvin Magic Johnson Park. Clearly it was also well enough to fly 90 miles over the mountains. 

The center says “officials have pre-approved its transfer to a sanctuary in Louisiana”, which may prove detrimental to the goose. Caging and shipment of animals provides an enormous amount of stress on them, and many birds have been documented dying in these conditions.

Capturing a fully healthy wild bird is wrong, no matter its’ rarity or celebrity status. There are many geese at Magic Johnson Park that are much worse-off than Bean-Goose ever was, and those birds were never looked at twice. The thought process and motives behind this capture are ignorant and uninformed at best and an attention-seeking publicity stunt at worst. Please urge Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center and Fish and Wildlife to reconsider their choice and to release the Tundra Bean-Goose back to its own chosen habitat.