FOWLS IN LOVE
GEESE ARE FAMOUSLY LOYAL AND MATE FOR LIFE. COULD A LIFE-THREATENING INJURY PUT THAT PARTNERSHIP AT RISK?
ARNOLD AND AMELIA
live near the Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center in Barnstable, Massachusetts. The employees at the center often notice them walking together near a pond, though they keep their distance and rarely interact with others. It’s the typical picture of a young couple in love, right? Except in this case, Arnold and Amelia are wild Canada geese.
It’s not an uncommon sight. An estimated 90 percent of all bird species form pair bonds, often leading to the co-parenting of offspring and sometimes lifelong partnerships. On top of this, geese are social animals that travel together, and even enjoy higher social rankings than their fellows after finding “the one,” gaining access to better foraging and nesting opportunities.
But for Arnold and Amelia, this past summer tested the strength of that partnership. “We noticed that one of the geese [Arnold] was limping pretty significantly,” says Zak Mertz, executive director of the Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center. After examining Arnold, he discovered an open fracture. The injury wouldn’t heal on its own in the wild and, if left untreated, would likely spell Arnold’s eventual demise.
Greg Mertz, a veterinarian and chairman at the New England Wildlife Center and Zak’s father, explains that foot fractures are a common injury for Canada geese. “Snapping turtles come up from below and grab the goose by the foot. If it’s a baby, the baby will often succumb, but an adult can probably struggle enough to get away,” he says.
While observing the surgery to repair Arnold’s foot, Zak heard a tapping sound on the clinic’s sliding glass door. When he went to investigate the source of the sound, he found none other than Amelia, taking advantage of a clear view of the table where Arnold was anesthetized.
After Arnold awoke from surgery, the staff allowed Amelia into the room. She immediately began preening him when she saw him, using her beak to clean his feathers. The activity can also be a form of communication between mates.
FOR THE NEXT
14 days, Arnold recuperated from his surgery. During this time, Amelia was at the wildlife center every day, sharing his meals and spending time with him. Sometimes she waddled down to the pond, but she always returned. And when Arnold was well enough, he was allowed outside too.
After Arnold was released, the staff continued to spot the pair together for about two weeks. Then a flock of geese landed in the pond and since that time, no one has seen Arnold or Amelia. “My guess would be that they took up with the flock and moved on,” says Zak.
Greg explains that because the couple didn’t have any babies, they were most likely young. “If a Canada goose goes for some time without having contact or repaid interest by the other mate, then they will separate,” he says. “It’s a little dramatic, but about 10 percent of geese end up getting divorced.” A recent study found that the most common reason geese pairs split is a low number of hatchlings.
But surely Amelia visiting Arnold while he was injured cemented their bond — does this mean they were in love? “Part of the reason we take such a vested interest in animals is because we draw similarities between their behaviors and our behaviors,” says Zak. “They protect each other, they reproduce together, they depend on each other, but whether there’s an intrinsic sense of love, I don’t know.”
Greg adds that biological influences can keep a goose couple together, something that humans experience as well. “There has to be some internal motivating force that allows that animal to behave in a particular way, and we call it love — that internal driving force.”