Gimothy the badneck goose is a nice cobra chicken I have recently discovered in Forest Hill Park. I just instinctually started calling them Gimothy. This bird has a neck issue that doesn’t allow them to lift their head. I have unfortunately found some affection for this bird and started bringing cracked corn to make sure they get some extra food. Gimothy seems to avoid the rest of the flock out of fear.

But now Gimothy is the boss as the cracked corn arrives because of them. I was concerned that they couldn’t swim, but today, great news I saw Gimothy in the water. It is really clear they can’t fly, but some geese do stick around through the winter here. The island in the center of the fishing pond has what looks like dog kennels. I have hopes that Gimothy will survive Cleveland’s winter.

ETA: Someone did some research for me and discovered this is a condition called “wry neck”, it can be caused by a vitamin deficiency, an injury or an in the shell defect. I reached out to the local wildlife help center and they are at capacity. I tried a second one and they said there wasn’t anything to be done, as long as the goose seems healthy and comfortable, it is fine. They do not have a rescue team and I would need to catch the goose and take it to the rehab center for treatment, which is not happening. But Gimothy eats, can swim, seems healthy in all other ways. So I will keep bringing cracked corn.