The life and times of Cynthia the goose
Cynthia was a much loved doyenne of Martin Mere who welcomed visitors to the centre and enjoyed conducting the occasional tour around the grounds. She celebrated her birthday with a Duke, and after her death she was much mourned by staff and visitors alike. Cynthia was obviously a special member of the team, but with casual glance over her exploits through the years, it is not immediately obvious that Cynthia was not a human, but a Cereopsis goose.
Cynthia arrived at the centre in 1976, and having been hand reared from the egg at Slimbridge, she was extraordinarily friendly towards humans. This is especially striking given that Cereopsis geese are generally extremely aggressive towards humans, and can be very territorial. She had a particular fondness for women and children, and was so friendly that she was given free run throughout the waterfowl gardens. She seemed to enjoy greeting visitors on arrival, and would often follow a group of visitors around the centre, giving them the VIP tour experience!
Cynthia was unconventional in other matters too – at one point she paired up with a Hawaiian goose, which given that the Hawaiian goose weighs in at around one third of the weight of a Cereopsis, was something of an unusual partnership. True love overcomes all obstacles, however, and Cynthia even laid some eggs, though these were not fertile.
Cynthia’s fame spread over the years, and her 10th birthday celebrations included a visit from the Duke of Westminster, who presented her with a special seed cake. Unfortunately Cynthia remained unimpressed by both the seed cake and her esteemed visitor. Cynthia continued to enjoy life at the Centre for another 9 years, and when she passed away in 1994 at the ripe old age of 19, she was universally mourned by all at Martin Mere.
