When Lydia West went for a walk in City Lake Park in the Dallas suburb of Royse City, she assumed her habit of feeding local ducks would be as uneventful as it always has been. Unfortunately, a gaggle of geese showed interest in the food and things didn’t go well. The 72-year-old was knocked to the ground and trapped by attacking geese until two people walking by stopped to free her from the angry birds. West was rushed to a local hospital, where doctors discovered she suffered several breaks on one side of her pelvis and had internal bleeding. “She has a long road of physical therapy and learning how to be able to walk,” said West’s son David. Authorities say their main concern is getting a warning out there to the public, especially the senior community, that geese will attack because they are naturally protective. While it’s rare for people to suffer extreme injuries like West’s, the attacks do occur. Wildlife biologist and animal behaviorist Vanessa Williams said the attacks are not malicious. “Geese are typically only defensive when they have a nest they’re protecting or are defending their young,” she said. That makes Williams wonder if there was a nest nearby that West wasn’t aware of.
