RIP Thomas, the blind bisexual goose, 1980-2018
February 20, 2018 4:13 PM   Subscribe

Thomas, a goose whose love life has delighted visitors to Waikanae's Waimanu Lagoons in New Zealand for many years, has died. His funeral featured a procession led by a bagpiper and a speech from the local mayor before the diminutive coffin was buried in a grave next to his life partner, Henry the swan.

Thomas and Henry were a couple for nearly twenty years, but the arrival of Henrietta, also a black swan, resulted in Henry sharing his affections. Thomas played the part of goose uncle to approximately 68 cygnets and the trio appeared inseparable until old age caught up with Henry, who was approximately 30 when he died in 2009.

Thomas's twilight years appear to have been rather sad before he was rehomed at the Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust in 2013, where he spent his final years eating corn and raising orphaned cygnets. He was approximately 38 when he died.
posted by Athanassiel (12 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite


 
Oh, what a sad and sweet story.

RIP Thomas.
posted by turbid dahlia at 4:17 PM on February 20, 2018


Oh, what a sad and sweet story.

Reading that last link was a total emotional roller coaster for me.
posted by Dip Flash at 4:39 PM on February 20, 2018


.
posted by strixus at 4:46 PM on February 20, 2018


Yeah, there was an even sadder link if you need a good sniffle. Do make sure you have some tissues handy.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:05 PM on February 20, 2018


.
posted by JoeXIII007 at 5:24 PM on February 20, 2018


This thing was an animal. We slaughter and eat animals on the regular. They are our food. We're on the top of the fucking eating pyramid.

This makes me feel a little queazy about eating animals.
posted by mr_roboto at 5:31 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]


It’s nice that a lot of people loved and cared about the lil guy :’)
posted by gucci mane at 5:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]


This makes me feel a little queazy about eating animals.
And a million vegetarians cried out with one voice, "One of us.. one of us... one of us..."

I had no idea that these large birds could live to almost 40. Birds scare me a little, so I'll just enjoy this story from a healthy distance, where no Canada goose can hiss at me and chase me from the park. As they do.
posted by xyzzy at 5:56 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]


"You had this nice feeling of – without being too stupid – the continuation of life. It was lovely."

That's what one of the attendees, Sue Lusk, said after seeing a mouse appear out of the ground. And there's just something so wonderful about the "nice feeling of -- without being too stupid" bit as a phrase. It's like, yeah, you are at a funeral for a blind, bisexual goose, which is ridiculous, but it's beautiful, OK? I like that. Things can be stupid and ridiculous and also wonderful and lovely. Most of the best things are.

You were a good goose, Thomas.
posted by darksong at 6:16 PM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]


His funeral featured a procession led by a bagpiper

Puts me in mind of a horrid experience I had once at my friend's mother's house. She had geese of which she was very fond and one, being a very elderly goose, had died; it fell to my friend to bury the corpse in the garden, which he did, in a hole about two foot deep.

And as he stepped on the mound of loose earth to tamp it down so that the local foxes and feral dogs would be less likely to make a meal of this buried goose, both of us distinctly heard a low and mournful hoooooooonk sound from below.

I am completely convinced to this day that a similar experience led to the invention of the bagpipes.
posted by flabdablet at 6:54 PM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]


Poor Thomas. He’s viciously attacking passers by and menacing small children in heaven now.
posted by um at 8:35 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]


Not the first goose memorial on Metafilter, either. Previous FPP of mine from 2005.
posted by emelenjr at 4:09 AM on February 21, 2018


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