Wild Geese Attack Walker

A 57-year-old woman walking her dog was knocked to the ground and attacked by two Canada geese.

Karyl Lee Olels’ face was swollen and bruised as a result of her encounter with the wild birds. She had two black eyes, a three-inch scratch down her cheek and suffered a concussion, possibly from the fall.

Olels said she was on a wide walkway near her Bellevue apartment Friday when she saw the big birds with goslings on a lawn about 10 feet away. She kept walking with Gizmo, her Shih Tzu dog on the curbside because geese make him nervous.

Moments later, Olels said, the birds ran toward her, honking. One flew straight at her and knocked her to the ground.

Then the geese began pecking at her head and body as she yelled and waved her arms. Moments later, they were gone.

The birds were probably afraid, too, said Dan DeWald, the city’s natural resources manager.

The instinct to protect their young can make them more aggressive this time of year, he said.