A 72-year-old woman has been left with serious injuries, including a broken pelvis, after being attacked by a group of geese in a Texas park. Lydia West was feeding ducks at City Lake Park in Royse City on December 1 when she was knocked to the ground by a larger goose before others joined in.
According to her son David, Ms West was left "trapped on the ground" and "unable to move" during the attack. The ordeal only ended when a passing couple intervened to fight off the geese. She was taken to hospital, where doctors found she had suffered several breaks on one side of her pelvis and internal bleeding.
David said his mother now faces a "long road of physical therapy" and will have to learn to walk again as she recovers. He described receiving a phone call at work to say his mother was being taken to hospital, saying: "It was something so ironic and odd. Now, I’ve done research online and realised that, okay, it happens, but it’s just such an odd feeling, and it’s still a shock to process."
Ms West visits the park daily to feed ducks, and her son hopes the incident will serve as a warning to others, particularly the elderly, to be cautious around wildlife. A spokesperson for City Lake Park said officials are considering posting signs to instruct visitors on how to "better share the space with wildlife."
Geese are known to be territorial and may attack when they feel threatened, especially during nesting season, which typically runs from March to June. Wildlife experts advise giving geese plenty of space and, if confronted by an aggressive goose, to face it directly, make yourself appear large, and back away slowly without turning your back.
