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Federal authorities have returned Lucy the pet goose to her owner, and Peter Kent, the federal Environment Minister, has apologized the bird was ever taken in the first place.

Her owner, Diane Vander Wiel, had feared the worst, after the goose, rescued as a chick and adopted as a pet, was confiscated from her Fort St. James, B.C., home on Jan 11.

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Conservation authorities arrived unannounced and took Lucy away in a crate, and Ms. Vander Wiel was told she could be euthanized. After she took to Facebook and shared her story, someone launched a petition to pressure the Ministry of the Environment, which has a law prohibiting people from holding migratory birds in captivity, to give Lucy back.

Then, on Friday, came the call from Mr. Kent.

“He said he was so sorry that this happened to our family, it should never have happened,” Ms. Vander Wiel said Tuesday. “Had [the wildlife officers] come out and seen [Lucy’s set-up], none of this would have ever transpired.”