Photo: RCMP

This gosling, nicknamed "Little Jerry," is recovering on a farm owned by a Kamloops Mountie. The baby bird was found on May 5 inside a unit at a local homeless shelter.

A baby goose is recovering at the home of a Kamloops Mountie after it was picked up recently and taken home by someone living in a local shelter, according to RCMP.

Police said they were called to a homeless shelter on May 5 for a report of a woman who had a gosling in her room and refused to set it free — a violation of the Migratory Birds Act.

“When officers attended the room, the woman denied having the gosling,” RCMP Const. Crystal Evelyn said in a news release.

“Although police could not see the bird, its chirps led officers to its location, inside the woman’s pocket.”

Evelyn said Mounties contacted the B.C. Conservation Officer Service for guidance, then attempted to return the baby bird to the beach from which it had been removed — but no other geese were present.

“The responding officer was worried it would be killed if he just left it there, so I said I’d take it home to my farm,” RCMP Const. Richard Christy said in the release.

“I have a safe place with some chickens, ducks and a pond.”

The bird has been nicknamed "Little Jerry."

Evelyn said Christy consulted with conservation officers about rehabilitation and eventual re-entry into the wild, noting the bird is not a pet and requires special care.