Earlier this year she pleaded with readers to help her gosling.
“He has a strong will to survive; he swims, he cleans his feathers, he even tries to stand on one leg to get to his tummy feathers, but not for long. He wants to do things like other goslings, but does not know why he can’t,” she said.
Phillip van der Walt, from Bunnycorp, heard her pleas and now the gosling has had its sixth prosthetic leg fitted.
“This is the sixth prosthetic leg for him and every leg is better than the previous one. As far as I know, this is the first time a 3-D printed prosthetic leg has been made for a goose in South Africa. He will hopefully get the last one at the end of the month,” said Sue.
Sue said she feels the gosling was sent to her so that she could help him, but she couldn’t do it on her own.
“I have tried to make DIY legs, slings and have run out of ideas. He spends part of the day in a hammock with his leg and stump sticking through the holes. Other times, he will sit on the grass, or in a container on a towel. He likes to huddle against me for comfort as well as support.
“I will not give up as long as he has a will to thrive. He is now in God’s hands. I will continue to pray daily for guidance and strength, for as long as he needs it. I feel he came to me for a reason, I just need outside intervention as well as divine intervention. He may just be a worthless animal to some, but to me he is God’s creation and is in need of help. I can’t turn my back on him,” she said.
Sue Burger, who can be contacted on 011 943 2237, is eagerly waiting for the end of the month to see her gosling with its new and more flexible prosthetic leg.
