Recovered goose released to the wild in Vancouver after being rescued by Prison Break star

Vancouver — It’s no prison break but a recovered Canada goose was set free Friday after being rescued earlier this month by former Prison Break star Robert Knepper and his wife.

“We were definitely just a part of it,” he said. “There were so many factors and people that came together to help just one tiny goose.”

The actor, known for his turn as the unforgettable Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell, was in Vancouver earlier this year to film the fifth season of Prison Break, and was again in town this week for a recurring role on iZombie.

Earlier this month, Knepper and his wife Nadine Kary — who is originally from Vancouver — were driving near Main Street and Terminal Avenue when they became snarled in traffic due to an accident up the road. Looking out the car window, the couple spotted a Canada goose apparently hiding in a flower bed outside McDonald’s. It appeared to be injured.

“I’m the son of a veterinarian, Nadine’s a huge animal lover,” said Knepper. “We came up to the light, we didn’t even say anything — we just knew how each other felt.”

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Prison Break actor Robert Knepper and his wife Nadine Kary were in Vancouver on Friday to release a Canada goose back to the wild. Knepper and Kary had helped to rescue the goose earlier in August after it was initially hit by a car.

“I put my arms around it, curled it up, put it in a box and he put his hoodie over it and we had our goose,” said Kary, who then called Wildlife Rescue. The organization wasn’t able to get to Vancouver that evening, but instructed Knepper and Kary to take the goose to a local animal emergency centre, where the goose would be cared for overnight before being picked up in the morning.

Wildlife Rescue executive director Coleen Doucette said the bird was treated and found to have a punctured air sac, as well as injuries to one of its legs. The bird remained in critical condition for the first few days before it was gradually introduced into a cage equipped with a pond and space to stretch its wings out. Doucette said it wasn’t long before the bird began to show impressive progress and was able to swim, walk, and take food on its own.

On Friday, Doucette, Knepper, and Kary were all on hand as Wildlife Rescue staff brought the goose’s cage out to Habitat Island, outside Olympic Village, for its release. Once Knepper lifted the gate, the goose slowly made its way out and spent some time in the water nearby before suddenly taking off across False Creek.

“I just thought, ‘God speed, goose. Off you go,'” Knepper said of the farewell.

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Actors Robert Knepper, Sarah Wayne Callies, Dominic Purcell, and Wentworth Miller attend the Fox Action Showcase: “Prison Break” And “24: Legacy” during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2016 in San Diego, California.

“It’s always the best case scenario when we have a successful outcome with a healthy animal that’s returned back to the wild,” said Doucette. “That’s the whole purpose of what we’re doing. It really does take a whole community effort as this example shows.”

Knepper and Kary said they were thrilled when contacted by the organization and told the bird was ready to be released, the same week Knepper happened to be back in Vancouver filming scenes for his role as Angus DeBeers on iZombie.

“I always have loved Vancouver,” said Knepper. “I always love shooting up here and then I met a Canadian and fell in love and got married so it’s a double whammy to be up here.

“And now it’s a triple whammy to say that we helped save something really beautiful in Vancouver.”

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