New Zealand goose: How one blind bisexual bird became an icon

A memorial is being held for a New Zealander who spent most of his life as a loving partner, caring father and an icon of the LGBT community.

Thomas the goose died 6 February at almost 40-years-old and is being buried beside his partner on Saturday.

"Thomas has been such an iconic and well-loved bird," said Craig Shepherd, who runs the Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust where Thomas spent his last years. "It's lovely that he is going to be buried where he spent most of his life."

But how exactly did a goose end up an icon?

A love triangle
It all started around 1990 when a black swan named Henrietta flew in to the Waimanu lagoon, located in a small town on New Zealand's Kapiti Coast.

Due to a damaged wing, she was unable to fly with the other swans and was often alone until a few years later when a white goose named Thomas arrived. The duo quickly formed a bond and Thomas was very protective of Henrietta, even scaring off any humans or dogs that came near her.

But after 18 blissful years together, a new young female swan entered the equation and was often spotted with Henrietta. No one thought much of it, assuming that they were both females.

The shocker came when the new swan laid an egg. It turned out that Henrietta was in fact a male swan who had mated with the new female swan.

"It's very hard to establish the gender of mature black swans," said Michael Peryer, the tour guide at the Waikanae Estuary where the lagoon is located. "So it turned out in fact that Thomas and Henrietta - who was really a Henry - had 18 happy gay years together."

Henrietta was re-named Henry, and the new young swan was given the name Henrietta.

Naturally, Thomas the goose was not too pleased that someone had stolen his mate.

"He got really aggressive and started beating the swans up. But once their eggs hatched he changed completely and took to those babies like they were his own," said Mr Peryer.

source: www.bbc.co