Stories from the Road: Daring Doc Rescues Geese

A physician recruiter at Nova Scotia Health wrote this great story about an Australian physician who came to Halifax recently for a site visit and ended up rescuing a family of geese. We hope you enjoy:

For Physician Recruitment Consultant Heather Rushton, getting to play ‘tour guide’ to international physicians is one of the best parts of the job. In addition to helping to match interested physicians to a clinic, driving the roads of Central Zone and showing off local landmarks and neighborhoods is all part of the fun.

On a recent site visit with an Australian physician, Dr. Asim Khan, the drive took an unexpected turn towards a high stakes rescue – of the feathered variety!

Dr. Khan and Heather were driving on the Circumferential Highway in Dartmouth enroute to visit a clinic when traffic ahead very quickly stopped short. Flicking on the four ways, Heather, Dr. Khan and his brother Imran (who had joined him for the trip) craned their necks in attempt to see what had caused the sudden stop. Then, just in front of their vehicle, trapped against the highway barrier, was a family of Canada Geese! The crew of eight were weaving along the inside lane of the highway, with the two adult geese hopping back and forth over the barrier, trying to get to Albro Lake on the other side. All traffic stopped on the outbound side as the geese wandered in and out of traffic.

Suddenly, the Geese parents hopped over the barrier and waddled across the highway, leaving the six fuzzy babies alone on the other side! “Imran,” came Dr. Khan’s voice from inside the car, “Let’s go.”

Without a second thought, the brothers hopped out of the truck and ran to join another good Samaritan who was using their car to ‘block’ the babies from wandering into traffic. At this point chaos ensued as more humans ran from cars to join the crusade, and the baby geese scattered, frightened, with some running under Heather’s vehicle. Dr. Khan and Imran used their hands and coats to herd the geese, who eventually made it to the far side of the highway and were seeking shelter in some bushes.

The good Samaritans were joined by some animal rescue folks, who appeared wearing safety vests and carrying animal crates. Dr. Khan, Imran and the other rescuers dove down into the bushes and began pulling out baby geese, holding the fuzzy creatures who were desperately wiggling. One by one they were placed safely into the crate, and Dr. Khan and Imran did a few loops around Heather’s car to ensure there were no visitors still seeking shelter underneath.

“Dr. Khan and his brother didn’t hesitate to jump out and come to the rescue,” Heather reports, after the adventure was over, “It was high stakes out there, both with potential accidents as well as the lives of the animals. Dr. Khan’s training clearly kicked in, and he sprung into action to help in whatever way he could.”

The geese were safely reunited with their parents in Albro Lake, and traffic resumed safely. After climbing back into the car, Dr. Khan, Imran and Heather reflected on the brief detour from their schedule. “It was a pretty appropriate introduction to our wildlife,” Heather says, “An Australian physician, coming to Nova Scotia to potentially practice medicine, and he ends up rescuing a bunch of Canada Geese!”

It’s safe to say Dr. Khan is exactly the kind of physician Nova Scotia wants to have around in a crisis – whether it’s fuzzy or human!