Gay couple Thomas the goose and Henry the swan could live on forever as a bronze statue
Henry the swan and Thomas the goose. (Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust)
Life-sized bronze statues could be cast to immortalise the greater love story ever–between Thomas the bisexual goose and his partner of nearly 30 years, Henry the bisexual swan.
Thomas died in 2017, and the nearly 40-year-old bird was buried beside his partner Henry, who passed away in 2009.
The lovable goose was known to be a loner in his home at the Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust on New Zealand’s North Island, before Henry arrived in the sanctuary in the 1980s and stole his heart.
The two soon became a couple, staying together for about 18 years before Thomas was left heartbroken when Henry left him for a female swan, Henrietta.
However, Thomas pulled it together and quickly joined Henry and Henrietta to make a thruple to raise the couple’s 68 hatchlings as one.
The zoo boasted several heartwarming pictures of the triumvirate with their young, remarking that the threesome were inseparable.
Now, a trio of life-sized bronze statues could be made by local artist Eileen Thomas to remember the thruple’s relationship, provided around £40,000 is raised to fund the project, reports New Zealand news site Stuff.
The statues would be displayed on the Kāpiti Coast.
The sanctuary’s tour guide Mik Peryer told Stuff: “It was an iconic thing, Waikanae could even use the statue as a brand.”
Thomas was left heartbroken after Henry’s death, while Henrietta quickly moved on and flew away to find another partner.
Henry, Thomas and Henrietta as a thruple. (Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust)
He was said to cry out for his boyfriend in the enclosure.
The goose did go on to father babies with a female goose, but these were stolen by another goose, called George, who raised them instead.
A celebratory funeral was held for Thomas in February 2018, including bagpipes and poetry.
About 60 people turned out for the funeral, including the Mayor of Waimanu Lagoon and a priest who carried out the ceremony.
Thomas the goose’s funeral in February 2018. (Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust)
“This was just very special, and it brought the community together, and it was a lovely story of good things,” local Sue Lusk said of the funeral at the time.
Announcing the goose’s death last year, Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust wrote on Facebook: “Thomas, in his almost 40 years of life, made an impact on many people and their lives. While we have cared for, loved and cherished him in recent years, Thomas originally befriended and made a name for himself with the lovely residents of the Waimanu Lagoon in Waikanae who watched over him for more than 25 + years.”
