Beloved Asbury Park geese vanish, turn up two hours away at farm

🔴 Two beloved Asbury Park geese named Taco and Churro were taken from their longtime home at Deal Lake.

🚔 A social media search led to the pair being found at a farm two hours away in Warren County.

❤️ After a vet exam, Taco and Churro were reunited with their caretakers and returned to Deal Lake.

ASBURY PARK — Residents in one Monmouth County town are breathing a sigh of relief now that two beloved geese are back where they belong.

On Sept. 2, the pair of white birds, named Taco and Churro, were “goosenapped” from the place they’ve called home for the past 10 to 15 years—outside Catbird pizzeria restaurant on Deal Lake in Asbury Park.

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Taco and Churro, the two white geese stolen from Deal Lake in Asbury Park, have been returned safe and sound (Monmouth County SPCA Facebook page)

Beloved Asbury Park geese taken from Deal Lake

Catbird owner Aimée McElroy told NJ.com that a neighbor who has been taking care of the geese for more than a dozen years saw them being taken away in a brown Subaru.

“The people who cared for Taco and Churro were frantic and heartbroken about what could have happened, and turned to social media and the authorities for assistance,” the Monmouth County SPCA wrote on Facebook.

McElory contacted everyone she could think of to help in the search, including veterinarians and avian rescues, but nothing turned up.

Taco and Churro, the two white geese stolen from Deal Lake in Asbury Park, have been returned safe and sound (Monmouth County SPCA Facebook page)

Taco and Churro found at Warren County farm

It turned out that Taco and Churro were taken to a farm two hours away up in Warren County, the SPCA announced.

“Thanks to the hundreds of shares their posts got, the owners of the farm recognized Taco and Churro and immediately contacted local police,” the SPCA wrote.

A detective and an animal control officer from the Asbury Park Police Department went to the farm to recover Taco and Churro. The birds were taken to the SPCA in Eatontown, where their vet, Dr. Brognano, who specializes in wildlife, gave the pair a full exam before deeming them ready for release.

Taco and Churro, the two white geese stolen from Deal Lake in Asbury Park, have been returned safe and sound (Monmouth County SPCA Facebook page)

‘Mother Goose’ and caretakers welcome geese home

It was a beautiful reunion between McElroy and many of the other caretakers, including one aptly nicknamed Mother Goose, when Taco and Churro arrived back to their nesting area, SPCA officials said.

The geese were last seen swimming, eating, and relaxing in their favorite places on Deal Lake, as if nothing ever happened.

Removing wildlife can result in jail time and heavy fines. An Asbury Park City spokesman says it remains an open case for now.

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