LION president John Di Lorenzo with a goose he was able to rescue from a home across from Forest
Hills High School, where more than a dozen geese and ducks were living outdoors in poor conditions.
. Photo courtesy of LION
2 TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JAN. 21 - JAN. 27, 2022
BY JENNA BAGCAL
It’s not every day that a
print publication makes a
television appearance.
On the Jan. 14 episode
of “The Drew Barrymore
Show,” the Bayside Times
got a shoutout for its cover
story in a December issue
about a Forest Hills nurse
who got a home makeover
courtesy of its famous host.
“We’re on the cover of the
Bayside Times today and as
you can see, we love magazines,
newspapers, periodicals.
Here I am in the New
York state Bayside Times on
the cover. You have no idea
what an honor this is for me.
Thank you,” Barrymore said
at the end of the Drew’s News
segment of the show.
Back in November 2021,
Victoria Osei, a nurse at
LIJ Forest Hills, was surprised
with a renovation of
her Uniondale home, which
included a new kitchen and
upgrades to the living room
and dining room. The reveal
was broadcast on an episode
of Barrymore’s morning talk
show.
Osei’s director at the
hospital reached out to the
show’s producers, who were
looking for nurses who give
back to the community.
In addition to her role as
an assistant nurse manager
The cover of the Bayside
Times’ Dec. 17 - Dec. 23
edition.
working with the sick and elderly,
Osei lead nurses when
her unit was converted into a
COVID floor in the spring of
2020.
Outside of work, the registered
nurse participates
in food and clothing drives
at the First Presbyterian
Church of New Town and the
New Life Community Center
in Elmhurst.
Following retirement,
Osei said she dreams of opening
a clinic in her native
Ghana, where she emigrated
from to the United States in
1978.
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at
jbagcal@schnepsmedia.com
or by phone at (718) 260-2583.
BY BILL PARRY
More than a dozen geese and
ducks have been rescued from
a Forest Hills home where they
were kept illegally outdoors in
deplorable conditions.
The Long Island Orchestrating
for Nature (LION), the leading
waterfowl rescue organization
in the Northeast, and New
Yorkers for Clean, Livable and
Safe Streets (NYCLASS), obtained
the release of a domestic
Embden goose and four Muscovy
ducks from a residence
across from Forest Hills High
School, which were discovered
lying on a bed of frozen feces
and fed a diet of stale bread and
moldy bagels. The rescuers returned
to the home and were
able to negotiate the release of
12 more waterfowl on Thursday
evening, Jan. 13.
The large birds are now recovering
at LION’s Riverhead
animal shelter and are being
treated by a veterinarian for severe
wing deformities and staph
infections attributed to their
poor diet and lack of shelter.
“Animals, whether dogs
or ducks, feel pain and suffer
just like we do,” LION President
John Di Leonardo said.
“If we’re cold, they’re cold.
Muscovy ducks are endemic
to South and Central America
and are especially prone to
frostbite and hypothermia
when exposed to our cold winters.
LION is urging the public
to contact us immediately
if they see domestic ducks or
geese abandoned in public
parks or left outside without
shelter, especially in New York
City where it is illegal to house
these sensitive animals.”
Concerned neighbors in
Forest Hills had been calling
311 and lodging complaints
with the 112th Precinct for
months about the birds being
kept in violation of NYC Health
Code 161 for months without action
before LION contacted the
mayor’s office last week.
The owners of the animals
told rescuers they were eating
them and would be taking
most of them to a farm in Pennsylvania
where they would be
auctioned and killed. Di Leonardo
informed them that the
birds would need to be seen by
a veterinarian prior to crossing
state lines and that due to their
condition, many of them would
not receive the necessary veterinary
certification.
NYCLASS executive director
Edita Birnkrant said she
was horrified to see the conditions
the waterfowl were living
in, especially in sub-freezing
temperatures early in the
week. She was further angered
to learn from neighbors that
this has been going on for years
at the home.
“This situation highlights
the need for the New York City
Council to pass Code Blue legislation
prohibiting residents
from keeping animals outside
in sub-freezing temperatures,”
she said.
Once recovered at LION’s
shelter, the rescued waterfowl,
who are domestic and cannot
be released to the wild, will be
placed in reputable homes and
sanctuaries where they will
be loved and never eaten, Di
Leonardo said.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
Bayside Times gets shoutout
on ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’
FOREST HILLS RESIDENTS
CRY ‘FOWL’ OVER BIRDS KEPT
IN DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS
Drew Barrymore holds a copy of The Bayside Times on “The Drew
Barrymore Show.” Screenshot via YouTube
BAYSIDE TIMES (USPS#025088) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 45-17 Marathon Parkway, Little Neck, N.Y. 11362, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2022. All rights reserved. The
newspaper will not be liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Bayside Times C/O
Queens CNG LLC. 45-17 Marathon Parkway, Little Neck, N.Y. 11362.
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