Egyptian goose attack lands woman in ER

ONE woman’s morning walk with her dogs left her with cuts, bruises and concussion after she was attacked by an Egyptian goose. She lost several hours of memory and was admitted to the ER as a result.

The woman, who can only be identified as Rebecca, was walking along Molteno Road in Oranjezicht when the goose charged at her and hit her in the face.

“I sustained cuts and bruises on my face, hands and forearms. No doubt the latter were defence wounds,” said Rebecca.

“I also fell backwards and hit my head on the pavement. I suffered a concussion and required stitches to the back of my head.”

A large number of Egyptian geese have settled in the area, around De Waal Park and the Molteno reservoir.

“I only saw one goose (and) seeing a goose running at me is the last thing I remember. I was coming up to a corner in a leafy area of the neighbourhood, so there easily could have been another around the corner nearby,” said Rebecca.

The woman has no recollection of what happened for several hours afterwards, but according to her partner, she had called him and told him that she had been attacked by a goose and couldn’t walk. He found her and her dogs sitting on a kerb, then took her to the ER.

Jon Friedman, who heads the wildlife department at the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, said that physical attacks by Egyptian geese are rare.

“Geese can be incredibly territorial, doing all that they can to keep other geese and intruders, including humans, out of their territory,” said Friedman.

“They are also very protective of their young and right now is their peak breeding season.”

According to Arjun Amar, an avian conservation biologist and associate professor at UCT, humans and Egyptian geese can interact harmoniously.

Egyptian geese, which were considered sacred to the Ancient Egyptians, are native to sub-Saharan Africa and the Nile Valley in Egypt.

While Amar said that the population of Egyptian geese in Cape Town is unknown, he confirmed that their numbers are increasing.

Egyptian geese are unable to build their own nests, but they take over nests of other birds, sometimes stealing or using them after have beenfinished.

“We have also done research that has shown that by manipulating the fear that the geese experience with trained hawks it is possible to reduce their numbers,” said Amar.

The City of Cape Town’s recreation and parks department said that this was the first time such a matter reached its attention but that the incident was not reported to them.

Rebecca was in pain after the attack but has now recovered.