ASBURY PARK, N.J. — Taco and Churro are back where they belong.
The two white geese, familiar fixtures around Deal Lake for more than a decade, were safely returned to Asbury Park after they disappeared from the lakeshore Sept. 2 and later surfaced at a farm in Warren County.
The birds received veterinary examinations before being released. They were soon swimming, eating and relaxing around the lake as if their unexpected trip across New Jersey had never happened.
Witness saw geese placed into car
Taco and Churro have lived around Deal Lake for an estimated 10 to 15 years. They are especially well known near Catbird, a lakeside restaurant where neighbors and patrons regularly watched and cared for them.
According to the Monmouth County SPCA, witnesses saw three people place the geese into a vehicle Sept. 2. A neighbor who had cared for the birds for years reportedly saw them being loaded into a brown Subaru.
Their sudden disappearance rattled the people who had been feeding and watching over them.
Photos and information about the missing birds spread quickly across social media. Hundreds of people shared the posts as residents, veterinarians and animal-rescue groups searched for any sign of the pair.
Social media posts reached Warren County
The search ultimately reached the owners of a farm in Warren County, about two hours from Asbury Park.
Farm representatives recognized Taco and Churro from the widely circulated posts and contacted local police, according to the SPCA.
An Asbury Park Police Department detective and a Monmouth County SPCA animal control officer traveled to Warren County to retrieve them.
The geese were taken to the SPCA’s Eatontown facility, where a veterinarian specializing in wildlife examined both birds. Taco and Churro were cleared to return to Deal Lake.
A long-awaited return to Deal Lake
Caretakers gathered near their nesting area to welcome the pair home.
Within a short time, both geese had returned to their normal routine—swimming across the lake, eating and settling into their familiar spots.
No arrests or charges have been announced. Authorities have not publicly identified the people seen removing the geese, and the investigation remains open.
The SPCA warned that removing wildlife can lead to fines and possible jail time.
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