A 72-year-old woman is recovering in the hospital after being severely injured by geese while visiting a local park in Texas.
Lydia West was feeding ducks at City Lake Park in Royse City on Dec. 1 when the situation suddenly turned dangerous, her son, David West, told CNN affiliate WFAA.
According to David, the longtime park visitor was offering food to the smaller ducks when several larger geese rushed in.
“She was feeding the little ducks, and large geese came up to her and started attacking the food, and she fell hard,” he told WFAA. “And she was trapped on the ground, unable to move.”
A couple at the park noticed Lydia in distress, intervened to scare off the geese and called 911, WFAA reported.
Lydia was taken to a local trauma center, where doctors found multiple pelvic fractures and internal bleeding, the outlet said. Her son explained that her size and existing health issues made the injuries especially serious.
“She’s a very small stature. She has other health concerns as well,” David said, noting that “she has a long road of physical therapy and learning how to be able to walk.”
A spokesperson for City Lake Park told WFAA that officials are considering putting up signs to help visitors understand how to “better share the space with wildlife.” They did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday, Dec. 6.
David said the family was stunned that geese could become so aggressive. “It was a shock that the geese could even become that territorial and could hurt somebody,” he told WFAA.
He now hopes what happened to his mother will encourage others — particularly older adults — to be more cautious around wildlife in public parks.
“Our main concern is being able to get a warning out there to the public, especially the senior community,” he said.
