A concerning wildlife incident that was caught on camera in Kelowna is under investigation.
The BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) tells KelownaNow that the Canadian Wildlife Service, a branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada, is the lead investigative agency.
Police were called to the scene in the 500 block of Doyle Avenue around 10:30 am Wednesday for a report that someone had "pushed" goslings off a fourth floor balcony at the Madison condo building.
Viral footage of the incident shows multiple men on the balcony with one of them appearing to use a green pool noodle to force the baby geese off the high perch.
“The involved individual was educated about proper wildlife removal procedures,” the Kelowna RCMP said in a statement. “In their defence, the individual described that the building had experienced issues with geese for the last few years and had not found a solution to deal with the issue.”
Unable to fly at their young age, all seven goslings that were forced off the balcony fell more than 50 feet to the ground below.
Conservation officers who attended the scene assessed the birds and, in consultation with the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, carried them to Okanagan Lake.
According to the BCCOS, all of the goslings were placed on shore and monitored for around 30 minutes.
Five of them were seen swimming away with two adult geese, but two of them were unable to join the group and were transported to the rehabilitation centre as a result.
Geese, as well as goslings and eggs, are strictly protected by the Migratory Birds Convention Act in Canada and it is illegal to intentionally disrupt, chase or harass them.
