Garrison employees rescue gosling family
Dr. Thomas Gladis (standing) and Gordon Adam release baby geese into their new home, a lush retention pond behind Newman Village, just outside Wiesbaden's Clay Kaserne.

WIESBADEN, Germany - Wading through swampy water to capture wayward baby geese isn't included in most Directorate of Public Works employees' job descriptions. When nature calls, they answer.

Gordon Adam, an environmental technician, and Dr. Thomas Gladis, a contractor, rescued a gaggle of eight baby Egyptian geese stranded with their mother in a concrete retention pit on Clay Kaserne Aug. 13. The mother had moved them to the closest body of water she could find, but with no natural food and no ability to fly from the 20-foot-deep pit, they would have starved to death.

Adam and Gladis moved them to a lush retention pond behind Newman Village. The parents kept a watchful eye during the operation and will be able to find their babies in the pond, said Adam.

"They're not the greatest parents in the first place, though," he said. "They will often leave them alone for hours at a time."

Egyptian geese are not, as the name implies, native to Germany. They are considered an invasive species that was brought here from sub-Saharan Africa or the Nile River Valley as a "decorative bird" for someone's garden. They have since proliferated the area and are rapidly increasing in population.

"They're a problem because they're aggressive toward indigenous species competing for habitat and food," Adam said.

It's the fourth time they've rescued geese, he added. They've also rescued kestrels, a buzzard, baby long-eared owls, crows, door mice, plants, such as orchids, and insects.?There are 600 known protected species at U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden.

If people come across an animal in distress, they should call DPW at mil 337-1560 or civ (0611) 705-1560. DPW is located on Clay Kaserne at Building 1059.

Page last updated Wed August 27th, 2014 at 05:11