As Mate Has Surgery, Goose Waits By Cape Wildlife Center's Door

BARNSTABLE, MA — While the Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable typically doesn’t allow patient visitors, the staff made a heartwarming exception this week when they heard a tap-tap-tap at the clinic door.

Inside was Arnold the goose, who was getting ready to undergo surgery. Outside was his mate, agitated that she couldn’t get inside.

“Today was a first for our hospital,” staff wrote on Facebook before sharing Arnold’s story.

As it turns out, Arnold and his mate, both Canada geese, have lived on a pond near Cape Wildlife Center for years. Both wild, they usually keep to themselves and steer clear of human visitors, staff wrote.

That changed when staff noticed Arnold had developed a concerning limp and was unable to stand for long periods.

“With some effort we were able to catch Arnold and bring him in for a veterinary exam, one of the ‘perks’ of having a wildlife hospital in your backyard,” staff wrote on Facebook.

After examining him, veterinary staff found that Arnold had two open fractures on his foot, likely caused by a snapping turtle or other predator attacking him. Staff knew they had to amputate one digit before suturing closed the other.

The next morning, as staff was prepping Arnold for surgery, they heard it: a faint tapping at the clinic door. It was Arnold’s mate, who had waddled onto the porch and was attempting to “break in” to the clinic, staff wrote.

She couldn’t get in, but she refused to leave.

“She remained there throughout the entire procedure, watching us work, never moving from the doorway,” staff wrote.

The surgery went well, and once Arnold woke from anesthesia and his wound was closed and bandaged, staff decided it was time to reunite him with his beloved.

“We decided to let him recover by the doorway so that he could see his mate. We opened the door and gave Arnold his flow-by oxygen in the doorway,” staff wrote on Facebook. “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.”

Arnold will likely need several more weeks of treatment before he’s ready to head back to the wild. Until then, staff said they’ll continue his treatment in full view of the door so his devoted mate can check in on him whenever possible.