Second chance for Christmas goose

HE might not be able to fly, but an injured Egyptian goose, aptly named St Nick, is happily waddling around the grounds at Mbango, recovering well from surgery and glad to be home.

His sad saga began a few weeks ago when Anne Lambert, who is in charge of the gardens and the conservation issues at Mbango, noticed an injured Egyptian goose on the Mbango River flood plain.

Taking a closer look she noticed that something was protruding from each wing and that the bird was unable to fly. Rendering assistance to the injured bird was not that easy. At first Anne was pecked and chased away by its protective companions but she persisted and eventually managed to rescue the goose.

She and her colleagues rushed it to Port Shepstone veterinarian Dr Claire Norton. After examining the bird, she told the Mbango staff that both its wings had been broken at some stage and had subsequently fused and healed. However, the goose would never fly again. The best treatment would be to amputate both wings at the elbow.

Despite the pain it was in, the bird was in great condition and very sprightly. Anne’s boss, Jamie Demetriou, agreed to give the bird a new lease on life and gave Claire the go-ahead to do the operation. A few days after undergoing surgery, the bird, still wrapped in a bandage, was doing well.

“I am thrilled that Mbango Valley Association, which has an outstanding nature conservation policy, bore the cost of the operation. The outstanding balance for the bird’s after-care was very kindly donated by Claire herself. What a heartwarming success story it was,” said Anne.

In honour of the kindness and the Christmas spirit shown by Claire, Claire’s staff and Anne’s colleagues and friends, Anne decided to name the patient St Nick. She is pleased to report that St Nick was successfully released a few days ago and is back with the other geese where he belongs. She thanked everyone involved.