“I just focused on getting the babies safely to her …”
She didn’t plan to save anyone that day — but when a mama goose and her seven babies appeared in traffic, Lily didn’t hesitate.
AN UNEXPECTED OBSTACLE
Lily was driving home from the gym last week when she suddenly noticed something up ahead on the freeway, prompting her to step on the brakes.
“I slowed down very early and carefully,” Lily, who asked her last name not be used, told The Dodo. “As I got closer, I realized it was a mama goose with her seven babies.”
The geese family was in a precarious position: they were waddling down the left lane of a busy freeway, weaving in and out of traffic as they attempted to make it to the right shoulder. Other drivers continued past them, but Lily slowed to a crawl to protect them as best she could.
“As I started slowing down, some traffic formed behind me, but people were patient. When the geese changed lanes, drivers gave them space and waited.”
TWO MINUTES THAT FELT LIKE FOREVER
It was a heart-stopping two minutes while Lily slowly ushered the geese family to the right shoulder of the highway, near a grassy area where they could seek refuge. Once they reached the grass, Lily continued driving — but something told her to circle back just to make sure they were safe.
“The grassy area they were heading toward is actually surrounded by roads, so I knew they would likely have to cross traffic again,” Lily said.
ROUND TWO
Lily returned to that section of the highway less than 10 minutes later, where she found the geese family waddling down the highway again, this time on the right shoulder. Without skipping a beat, Lily slowed her car behind them and escorted the family down the right lane for another 10 minutes, until they reached a bigger grassy area.
The mama goose quickly hopped up on the curb, followed by her devoted partner. But when Lily noticed the babies struggling to jump up, she parked her car and got out to help.
One by one, Lily carefully scooped the remaining babies up and onto the grassy area, much to the dismay of their mother.
“She definitely showed she wasn’t happy — she was hissing and protective — but it was very quick, and I didn’t really have time to think about it at the moment. I just focused on getting the babies safely to her.”
SAFE AT LAST
A few moments later, the family was reunited on the grassy embankment and continued walking away from the highway. Lily was breathless from the impromptu rescue mission, and she couldn’t stop thinking about them as she drove away.
“I don’t know where they went after that, but I really hope they stayed safe and continued their journey in a better area,” Lily said. “Even now, I sometimes think about whether I accidentally changed their direction by helping them, because in the end, they were clearly going somewhere for a reason.”
THE BIGGER LESSON
It’s impossible to know where the geese were heading that day, but Lily is comforted knowing that they made it off the highway safely. And though she wasn’t expecting to save a family after the gym that day, she won’t hesitate to jump into action again if needed.
“Honestly, I would do the same again,” Lily said. “Maybe the bigger lesson is simple: Sometimes you don’t plan to get involved, but if you’re in the right place at the right moment, you just do what you can.”