Geese are known to be one of the most loyal species.
They tend to mate for life, while they are very protective of their mate and their chicks.
If a goose’s mate is sick, they will never leave their side, even if the winter is approaching and all the other birds are on the way to the south.
For a goose couple in Barnstable, Massachusetts, this is true, and the two wild birds are proving animal experts right with their devotion and selfless love.
You see, a Canada goose named Arnold and his mate happen to live on a pond near the Cape Wildlife Center, and the staff there happens to know Arnold and his family very well.
“This Canada goose, we refer to as Arnold, lives on a pond near our facility. He is part of a mated pair that have been together for several years,” the Cape Wildlife Center shared in a Facebook post.
Recently, they noticed that Arnold had been limping, so they decided to take him in and examine his leg.
Indeed, they found out that his foot had been badly injured, possibly after being bitten by a snapping turtle or some other predator.
“Upon exam our veterinary team found that he had two open-fractures on his foot. This means that the tissue and skin has been pulled away leaving the bone exposed,” they explained.
This being a pretty bad wound, the doctors decided to operate Arnold in order to amputate one of the digits and thus save the foot and, of course, the wild animal’s life.
Once the Wildlife Center’s staff had prepared Arnold for surgery, they heard tapping on the door.
It was an unexpected visitor for their patient. They turned their heads and saw Amelie, Arnold’s mate, looking at them clearly worried about her partner’s condition.
The goose stayed there during the whole surgery without moving one inch.
The doctors admitted it was the first time they had experienced something like that, but their hearts totally melted at the sight of the goose waiting for her mate to be operated on.
Thankfully, the surgery was successful, and Arnold was able to be taken close to the door once he woke from anesthesia so that he could see his mate.
“His mate immediately calmed down and began to groom him through the door. They both seemed much more at ease in each other’s presence,” the staff explained.
In the weeks that followed, Arnold had to stay in the animal center to fully recover before he was ready to return to his natural habitat.
Still, he got to spend some time outdoors with his mate during the long weeks that followed.
It is amazing how much these geese love each other, and it is truly a lesson about family values.
People loved their story and they didn’t forget to give credit to the center for caring for these creatures.
Watch Arnold and Amelie in the video below.
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