Wild goose waits outside wildlife center for injured mate

A Canada goose undergoing foot surgery got an unexpected visitor - his longtime mate - who stopped in to make sure he was alright. 

On Tuesday, staff members at the Cape Wildlife Center in Massachusetts noticed that a goose named 'Arnold', who lives on a pond near the facility, had developed a limp and kept falling over. 

They were able to catch and examine him, and the veterinarian team discovered he had two open-fractures on his foot. The tissue and skin had pulled away leaving the bone exposed. 

Staff decided that in order to save the foot and give Arnold a chance at survival, they had to amputate one of the digits and suture the other wound closed. They gave the goose antibiotics and pain medications to prepare him for surgery the next morning.  

But that day, as Arnold was about to be sedated, his mate showed up to see him before the operation, tapping at the glass door with her beak, trying to get in to see her friend.

Arnold made it through surgery and his injured foot is expected to heal over time, in the meantime he is recovering near his loyal pal. 

'We decided to let him recover by the doorway so that he could see his mate,' the center said. 'We opened the door and gave Arnold his flow-by oxygen in the doorway. 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.'

Canada geese mate for life. If one of a pair dies, the surviving goose will mourn and may eventually find another mate.