Take a gander at this gander!

Yesterday while I was at Monument Valley Park snapping pictures for the blog, I noticed an enormous goose across the pond from me. I walked around to get a closer look because I couldn't quite tell what kind of bird he was. He turned out to be the largest gander I've ever seen. As I got closer he got a little agitated and gave me the stink-eye, so I definitely kept a safe distance from him (geese are mean, and they'll chase you!). I snapped this photo from several yards away and cropped it so you could see him a little better. You can't really appreciate it from the photo, but standing he's about the height of my lower thigh! (He's way bigger than the Canada geese in yesterday's picture.)

Today I took Pat to the park to see the gigantic gander. We located him in almost the same spot as yesterday, although with two of us there he wasn't quite as aggressive. As we walked past him, I remarked that this looks like a domesticated goose that must have been abandoned in the park. When we got home I did a little research on the internet, and within minutes I had my answer: this is either an African or a Chinese goose, domesticated for centuries and flightless. And when I say flightless, I mean vulnerable to attack from foxes and coyotes, and not suited to living in wild or semi-wild situations.

Since he is flightless, the only way he could have gotten there is if someone had dumped him. He's huge, so evidently he was well fed at some point! He looks healthy now but there are a lot of reasons why he shouldn't be there (see this website to learn more). Chances are he won't survive in the park for long. I was very concerned, so I contacted our City Parks and Recreation Department via e-mail, photo attached, to let them know about the situation.

I'll update the blog when I know more. I think people who dump unwanted animals are jerks. Whoever did this to this poor animal deserves a swift kick!