Goose woos statue, traps woman

WITT, Ill., March 24 (UPI) -- An Illinois woman said a goose with romantic intentions toward a concrete statue held her hostage in her home for several hours.

Joanne Martin said she tried to leave her Witt, Ill., home earlier this month and caught an amorous goose in the throes of mating season making advances to the concrete goose statue next to her car, the Springfield (Ill.) State Journal Register reported Wednesday.

"I opened up the door and saw this big bird next to my concrete goose," she said. "When I opened the door, he put down his bill and started coming after me. I was scared to death."

Martin said she called two friends who work nearby and the men agreed to come over once their work was finished, about four hours later. However, they had to call in reinforcements when the men failed to dissuade the goose and soon there were six men in Martin's kitchen discussing how to handle the aggressive bird.

"I told them I was held hostage and nobody would believe me," Martin said. "But when they got out here, they found out."

She said some of the men were finally able to distract the goose long enough to allow the others to move the statue into her shed and close the door. Martin said the goose seemed to calm down and soon left her property.

"They told me to keep my goose put away for 30 days and I'd be all right," she said. "But I'm just going to leave it in the shed. I don't want that thing back here again."