Goose Undergoing Surgery Gets Surprise Visit From His Mate Outside Cape Wildlife Center

BARNSTABLE (CBS) -- A goose who was undergoing surgery on one of his feet at the New England Wildlife Center's Cape Cod Branch had a surprise visitor waiting outside the clinic door: his mate.

According to officials, a Canada goose, who they've dubbed as Arnold, lives on a pond near their center with his female partner. They have been with one another for several years.

On Tuesday, staff noticed that Arnold had developed a limp and was falling over. After catching Arnold, they found that he had two fractures on his foot and was need in surgery.

As he was about to get into surgery on Wednesday, members of the center heard a tap on the clinic door.

It was his partner!

"We turned to see that his mate had waddled up onto the porch and was attempting to break into our clinic! She had somehow located him and was agitated that she could not get inside. She remained there throughout the entire procedure, watching us work, never moving from the doorway," wrote the New England Wildlife Center's Cape Cod Branch.

The surgery went well, and once Arnold woke up from anesthesia, they left him recover by the doorway so he could see her.

"We opened the door and gave Arnold his flow-by oxygen in the doorway. His mate immediately calmed down and began to groom him through the door. They both seemed much more at ease in each other's presence," said the New England Wildlife Center's Cape Cod Branch.

Arnold will still need more treatment before he goes back out into the wild, but officials will try to do treatments near the door so he can be near her.