Shropshire Star

Houdini the goose finds a happy home on the farm after rescue

When a Canadian goose that could not fly was abandoned by his family at a pool in Shropshire his future looked bleak.

Published

When a Canadian goose that could not fly was abandoned by his family at a pool in Shropshire his future looked bleak.

But the bird is now on cloud nine after neighbours living alongside the mere in Juniper Row in Church Aston, Newport, spent days trying to catch him before finding him a new home on a farm.

Neighbours living on the street feared for the goose's safety as it could not fly and used a food trail to trap it in a car port at resident Martyn Doble's home.

The goose was born about six months ago with a condition called angle wing, preventing it from ever flying.

When it was time for the gaggle to take to the air the Canadian goose was left behind.

Mr Doble, 48, said: "He has tried to fly a couple of times but I think he now realises he can't and the rest of them have all left to migrate.

"He was pining a bit and we could hear him hooting and making calls but obviously no-one was responding.

"He was hard to catch but we used a trail of food in the end and he was very calm."

The bird has earned the name Houdini after escaping from his neighbours' clutches and after one successful escape, eight-year-old Katie Browne, who lives opposite the mere, drew up a 'missing' poster for the public to help trace the lively youngster after he vanished from the area.

She said: "We just wanted to make sure he was safe and I wanted to make the poster and help. I'm very happy now that he is in a new home."

He has now been taken to a wildlife rescue centre at Amerton Farm in Stafford.

Katie's mother, Liz Browne, said she took Houdini to the wildlife centre on Friday after it was captured on Thursday.

She said: "He looks really happy now and they tidied up his wings so he looks much better.

"He is now on the water with the other birds.

"We were worried about how safe he would be over the winter but there is a happy ending to his story now."