INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — Wildlife rescuers are sharing footage of what they said are potential wild goose thieves, in hopes of helping authorities in an investigation.
Monday, Carolina Waterfowl Rescue posted on social media, saying multiple witnesses shared photos and videos of a group of people at the Sun Valley shopping center in Indian Trail this weekend.
The witnesses told rescuers the people approached families of wild geese on the property, took the babies and threw them in the back of their truck. Photos Carolina Waterfowl Rescue posted suggest the vehicle in question is a black Dodge Ram with a large sticker on the back window.
Jennifer Gordon, Carolina Waterfowl's founder, said local authorities and state wildlife officials are investigating the incident.
"I feel like I've seen everything over the years," Gordon told WCNC Charlotte Monday. "And then someone will shock me with something else."
Gordon said there are various reasons people might illegally take wild birds, noting in some cases, they want them as pets and don't want to pay for a domestic bird. However, in many cases, she said, the birds are stolen to make money.
"I've seen people running illegal nuisance animal control operations where they get paid some money to go reduce the geese population, and the people that hire them don't realize that they're not reputable and they're not licensed," Gordon said. "And then they round up the geese, and then we don't really know what happens to them after that."
"We also have seen people steal the geese, and then they show up at the flea market, or we have animal auctions, and there's ... what they call an animal swap," Gordon continued. "They'll put the geese out, and they'll tell people that they're domestic breeds of geese, and they sell them for a lot of money."
Gordon said she hopes the people involved will return the birds, noting the parents would likely take them back. She also said Carolina Waterfowl Rescue has an overnight drop box where people could leave the birds anonymously and let rescuers do the reuniting themselves. If the people are caught illegally in possession of the wild birds, there could be fines, Gordon said.
"It can be $5,000 per per animal," Gordon said. "So, depending on how many are actually missing, that could add up pretty fast."
WCNC Charlotte reached out to N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission for more information on the case. A spokesperson said Monday night she was still gathering details.
"I know the parents of the geese are devastated," Gordon said. "They bond for life and ... they will usually die for those goslings. They're willing to fight, usually, to the death to protect their families."
According to literature from N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, "Canada geese are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and various state and federal laws. In accordance with these laws it is unlawful to hunt, kill, sell, purchase, or possess migratory birds, except as permitted by regulations adopted on an annual basis by the Secretary of the Interior."
Anyone with tips can share them with state wildlife officials by calling 1-800-662-7137.
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.