Wednesday, December 29, 2010

"Goose" you say... Happy New Years

Thank God our Government spends about a billion dollars a year to prop up CBC and the 90 or so staff that work at CBC Charlottetown, otherwise this devastating tragedy of euthanizing the goose wouldn't have made it to the airways... I'm just hoping that Jim Bagnall can get a special opening of the Legislature ASAP and have a Government Committee investigate this matter further...

Maybe a half hour "road kill" tag on to Compass would be in order, so send those letters to our Senator Duffy and I'm sure he'll get right on it... at the very least the poor thing could have been cooked up for New Years...

Euthanizing of Canada goose upsets family

CBC News
December 29, 2010

A P.E.I. family is upset after a Canada goose it tried to nurse back to health was euthanized by the Atlantic Veterinary College.

In early November, Amanda Ellis-Stewart of Kingston in central P.E.I. found an injured Canada goose. After consulting with provincial Fish and Wildlife, she tried to nurse the bird back to health.

The family cared for the goose for several weeks. Ellis-Stewart and her children became attached to the bird, which they named Goosifer.

Early last week, Stewart asked Fish and Wildlife to take the goose to the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown for further care. She told officials she wanted to stay on top of the animal's condition.

Amanda Ellis-Stewart says she wanted to stay on top of the goose's condition. (CBC)
"I said, 'I don't want him put down, he can have sanctuary here for the winter until you decide what to do with him or where he can go,'" said Ellis-Stewart of her discussion with the AVC.

A few days later, on Christmas Eve, the goose was euthanized. Ellis-Stewart is upset with that decision.

"It was hard to explain to the kids when I didn't really understand myself why they had to do it," she said.

Gerald MacDougall, manager of fish and wildlife for the province, said the AVC determined the goose's wing was fractured.

"It had healed, but it healed wrong," said MacDougall. "Rather than put the bird through a lot of unnecessary suffering and fix what was already broken, it was decided to euthanize the animal."

MacDougall said they appreciated the family's kindness and the department is sorry there was a misunderstanding. No one at AVC would comment.

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