Goose's life saved with prosthetic beak

It has been a quacking start to the year for Garcia the goose, after a vet saved her life by making her a prosthetic beak.

The bird is thought to have ripped off the top half of her bill when she became tangled in a fence at the animal sanctuary where she lives. It left her unable to fend for herself and she faced being put to sleep.

But she was saved when a bird expert made her a new beak from fibreglass putty – all for £175.

‘Celebrity nose jobs cost thousands, so I think that was very good value,’ said owner Terry Kemp, of Happy Endings Animal Rescue Sanctuary in Hailsham, East Sussex.

‘Who would have thought you could save a goose’s life with a piece of fibreglass? It’s absolutely incredible.’

The bespoke beak was made by vet Alan Jones, of Eynsford, in Kent. In an hour-long operation, wires were put into Garcia’s skull to build a framework that was filled with a fibreglass paste called Technovit – usually used to repair horse hooves.

‘Her new beak works fine,’ said Mr Jones.

‘She can preen and feed, and it stops her mouth from drying out.’

After surgery, Garcia returned to a warm welcome from her mate, Morgan.

‘He recognised her straight away,’ said sanctuary co-founder Chris Johns.

‘He was flapping around her, checking out her new beak. I think he was as thrilled as us.’

The top part of Garcia’s beak will grow back in up to 18 months, meaning the prosthetic will be gradually adjusted and finally removed.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/851758-gooses-life-saved-with-prosthetic-beak#ixzz1AAMDiwuK

ETHNIC GOOSE CLEANSING

July 12, 2010, 3:29 pm [NY Times] Officials Euthanize Nearly 400 Geese From
Prospect Park By ISOLDE
RAFTERY

Nearly 400 Canada geese and goslings that had been living at Prospect Park were captured and euthanized last week as part of an ongoing effort to reduce the goose population in the New York City region.

Early on Thursday morning, wildlife biologists and technicians descended on the park and netted the birds. The biologists, who work with the wildlife services division of the United States Department of Agriculture, then
packed the geese two or three to a crate and took them to a facility where they were gassed with lethal doses of carbon dioxide, said Carol A. Bannerman, a spokeswoman for the wildlife services division.

The wildlife specialists had taken advantage of the fact that the birds were in the middle of molting season, when they shed their feathers and are unable to fly. On Monday morning, only four geese were seen out on the lake
in Prospect Park, according to one nearby resident, and it was not clear if they had avoided the roundup or arrived in the days since it occurred.

Last summer, 1,200 geese from 17 sites around the city were euthanized. The authorities have been trying to thin out their ranks since two geese flew into the engines of US Airways Flight 1549 in January, 2009, causing it to
splash down in the Hudson River. Everyone on board survived.

The absence of the birds was noticed by park enthusiasts and landscapers, though officials at Prospect Park were not notified of the specifics about their removal. Two of the park’s birds gained some notoriety because of
their disabilities – one was missing the top part of its beak, and another had a crossbow bolt speared through its
neck. The Prospect Park geese were not the only ones removed in the last month. The goal is to remove all geese within seven miles of La Guardia and John F. Kennedy airports.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/nyregion/13geese.html?hp