Wolf Within

Last saturday night just passed (23rd) I was at my daughters to meet up with our treasurer who brought down the papers from the Corporate Registry. "Kat" lives in Calgary (150 kms away) so it was a business and social visit... it was late - 1 a.m. when I went out to let the dog out and put some stuff in the van. I also put 3 more of the crew in cages and settled them in. (it's better to transport them in the dark, the less they see, the better)
While doing that and in thought of other things, I couldn't help but notice a pick up truck parked just on the corner bend (my daughter's is the last house opposite side), with 6 teens/young adults making a rufus. Two girls were sitting up on the edge in the back box with 2 other males who were down in the box, the driver was out and doing something with the 2 guys in the back box, one passenger was sitting up front, turned looking at what the others were doing. The girls were laughing, one was kinda letting out screaches and I heard a goose quack. At that moment, I didn't make much of it, because the pump house is right at the corner and there's a lagoon out back - often enough when there's noise and it's late at night, geese or ducks let out a noise when they get startled and they change location - anyhow, the young adults, had been partying and had had a fire in the back sand hills off the village's water ponds (least that's where we'd heard noise an hour before and is the direction they came from) Alot of times you'll see 4-5 fires along the little hills where the youth go on weekends.
One of the girls kept saying "keep it down, oh my god will you keep it down"
I thought she meant the noise - cuz I was kinda thinking the same.
Then they all had a laugh, the driver hopped back in his seat and they sped off towards the edge of town along the seed plant road.
My daughter came to the patio window and asked me if everything was ok and I quickly explained that it was the bunch who were up in the hills having a fire and they'd just left. She said she was hopping in a quick shower and going to bed - so we said good night.
Maybe 3 minutes passed and one of the girls let out several blood cuddling screams and I could see the brake lights of the pick up from across the baseball fields. There was some loud noises from the bunch but they were quite far away so I couldn't quite hear what they were saying but it was obvious that something was wrong and one gal was upset. I grabbed my cell phone and my wheels and sped off in their direction. While on my way, the pick up pulled a u turn and sped back along the back road to main street, then slowed down and cruised away.
I could see a large object in the road so I wondered if maybe they'd left a "pal" lying there but as I got closer, I could see 3 objects, 2 large and one small.
As I got to the "scene" - the 3 objects were one beautiful majestic canadian goose on her back all sprauled out, her wing twisted beneath her twisted and broken, her chest and lower neck was missing a chunk of flesh, one broken off chunk of a HUGE piece of trunk used for fire wood and a HUGE remaining piece of the log the first chunk was from. That huge round-cut , weathered, tree trunk was a good 9' from the goose, so that piece of wood had been thrown at the goose when the truck made the u-turn and double back at a good speed - poor poor creature! And for what?
I biked back to go get my daughter and it dawned on me - the rufus they were making when they stopped on the corner - was because they had the goose in the back of the pick up and that's what the girls were squealing about when the guys were lower down in the box! That's why the girl kept saying "keep it down, oh my god will you keep it down" and all the commotion was about.
The one and only squack I heard, was just before they sped off and turned towards the seed plant.
Either the goose managed to get in a good peck and they threw it out of the pick up and doubled back to end it's life or it got loose and tried to fly away but broke it's wing and they did a "mercy killing" your guess is as good as mine - and no, the goose was not hit by the truck, she was killed with a HUGE piece of dried up - round trunk wood - great for firewood.
When my daughter and I drove back up around, she too was upset thinking that we'd both taken notice to the commotion they'd been making at 1 a.m. (almost 2 by the time we got back up there - I got her out of bed, a bike doesn't go very fast)
We left everything as it was - we both agreed that no one would listen to us the crazy "cat people" - why call the RC's at that hour - over a beautiful canadian goose who was "abducted" for amusement and fatally ended her life - but five minutes up the road in a speeding vehicule - helpless against 6 people!
Kat was asleep but when she heard, she too was upset - to think that with the 3 of us feeling the way we do about animals and having heard them horsing around on the corner and all the commotion - we were in a position to do something about it, at least make ourselves present and ask them to let her go - get the full plate number (it was a ford mid 80's to early 90's with a passenger cab)
I cried - it's made me quite humble the last few days to think what goes on in life and how much abuse goes on in life - especially in the name of "fun". (we have one old tom with 3 paws missing and a tip of his tail is gone from being chased by a different pickup a few yrs back)

Have we reported it yet? NO
I did go to one of the farmsteads along that road but no one anwered and there is another just across the way, who's lights were on that night - but again I got no answer when I returned the next day.
I was hoping that one or the other had heard the youths and I wonder who cleaned up the goose and the tree stubs.
I wonder if someone else reported it or if they took the goose home for it's feathers and meat and who gives a damn?
Just another memoire to make note of, another lesson in life.
Who really cares what happened to that goose?
Live and let live.
Comments anyone?
We've had no luck with the law - no pictures or plates, nothing they can do.
Fish and Wildlife - if they weren't made aware of this previously and no carcus is in evidence - well - nothing they can do.
BUT, if others did hear and see - then strength would be in numbers and not just "us".
Poor Goose, she didn't stand a chance.
They migrate for a week or two in these parts while on their way (swans come down to the lower tip of the lake 15 kms away - some geese too, it's pretty neat to see them all together)
Worse yet, if this goose had a mate, that mate will wait around and not leave with the flock - in case his mate returns.
Lotsa coyotes and fox in these here parts.
It shouldn't have happened - the goose didn't stand a chance.