The Egyptian goose that had to be euthanized after being injured by fishing line.
The Middelburg SPCA were notified of the strange behavior of a goose, who lived at the Athlone dam in Mpumalanga, Middelburg Observer reports.
It was jumping around on one foot, and could not walk normally.
“He was the father of two chicks, but he could not swim properly. The babies could not understand why their father could not keep up with them,” said an eyewitness.
After numerous futile attempts to capture the bird, the SPCA called in the help from the Middelburg Observer who sent in a journalist to take photos of the bird’s injuries with a long lens.
The Egyptian goose
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The photos did not bode well for the bird. According to Dr Leon Connoway, a veterinarian, the fishing line had already damaged the bird’s legs, tendons and muscles and was cutting into the bone.
“Humans are the cruelest species on earth. This is the cause of people carelessly leaving behind fishing linen after a day at the dam. We picked up bundles and bundles of fishing line,” said senior inspector Petro Oberholzer of the Middelburg SPCA.
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– Caxton News Service
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