"Bionic" goose happy to have new leg, disappointed by lack of retractable laser cannon

Not wanting to let Betty the gosling goose meet an untimely fate, a UK vet outfitted the anatidae with a bionic leg, allegedly the first operation of its kind in the world (not counting Robot Chicken, of course). She's currently learning to walk again at nearby Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital at Buckinghamshire. Does she now possess super speed, the ability to make large vaults without using her wings, or a super powerful kick? All signs point to no, but a new lease on life has gotta count for something, right?

[GC Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:08PM]

My question is what happens when this goose grows? will the leg be in proportion?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:06PM]

What will happen when this little goose grows up?

[GC Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:08PM]

great minds think alike.

[leafflash Posted Jul 12th 2009 1:25AM]

If I understand correctly, it's a leg brace, not an artificial or 'new' leg.

I think the original article used the term 'bionic' for interest, not really a bionic leg (that would have taken a long time to develop)... According to the article what actually happened was:

"She was fitted with steel pins, nuts and bolts to build a leg brace which soon got her back up and waddling around."

And she's going to be released in a few weeks.

So it's a real leg, just with a little metal help.

[Fanman Posted Jul 12th 2009 2:31AM]

It will permanently go around in circles.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 12th 2009 6:12AM]

@fanman
I just love you.

[Freakin Ijit Posted Jul 12th 2009 7:45AM]

> What will happen...grows up?

Christmas dinner.

[thefourthheat Posted Jul 12th 2009 6:45PM]

I don't see how this is bionic in any way...my mom made a wing brace for a baby bird we found that had fallen/got kicked out of it's nest when I was a kid and there was nothing bionic about it and I don't see how this is any more bionic.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:11PM]

So when the little guy grows up, what happens when he's totally outsized for his legs?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 12th 2009 11:52AM]

Run, florest, run!

[MiketheVee Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:08PM]

EXTENDABLE LEGS! Think outside the box!

[rodneyha Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:09PM]

It... looks tasty.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:09PM]

Ducks + lasers = Total win

[monkeyontherun4 Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:25PM]

i thought it was sharks with lasers = win?

[MC1171611 Posted Jul 11th 2009 10:39PM]

Any animal + lasers = win.

[Napsterking Posted Jul 11th 2009 11:54PM]

@ Ian

I see where your going
_________________________________________
You mean i have friken sharks with friken lasers on top of their friken heads
*Shark Shoot Henchman*
Your the best son a evil genius can ever have!

[nigra Posted Jul 12th 2009 12:39AM]

yea DR.EVIL is pretty imaginative

[Ekul the Terrible Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:11PM]

They should of gave it wheels instead. They're more efficient.

[KR Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:21PM]

wheels............efficient? you do know that the cause massive amounts of friction......

friction=wearing down and decreased speed, why do you think you see hovercrafts in space movies??

[DBrim Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:46PM]

Moral of the story: they should have made it a hovergoose.

[Cy Starkman Posted Jul 12th 2009 1:21AM]

@DBrim

Total genius mate, +10 for the hovergoose

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 12th 2009 5:32AM]

Goose with wheels...

Duckroll -> rickroll
Gooseroll -> ???

[patches66 Posted Jul 12th 2009 11:07AM]

note the webbed feet. wheels are not extremely effective in the water.

[mike222 Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:12PM]

As long as the meat tastes the same, im fine.

[jincongz Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:36PM]

It might taste a bit rusty.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 12th 2009 11:54AM]

Shortly after that photo, I cooked the goose. It tasted a bit fowl, however.

[cdf74dc9 Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:18PM]

How much did the duck paid for that operation?

[SoulinEther Posted Jul 11th 2009 10:25PM]

It's all free in the UK. :>

[jagger27 Posted Jul 11th 2009 11:13PM]

And Canada.

You're so close, yet so far.

[MSWUDB Posted Jul 12th 2009 12:13AM]

n u tax payers pay for the operation here in the us...

[Fanman Posted Jul 12th 2009 2:30AM]

I don't think that Geese pay taxes or are entitled to treatment on the NHS, unless there is an emergency and there government's health service pays for the operation at a latter date.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:18PM]

I'm wondering....Did they find this bird with a broken leg and then fashion this thing up in a matter of minutes and furry of genius, or perhaps there are lots of birds around their area with broken legs, or did these sick guys break the birds leg only to see if they could fix it. For some reason I feel the last may be true.

[FallenArms3 Posted Jul 11th 2009 11:06PM]

Or they cut the leg off for the sake of the experiment, oh the horror!

[FallenArms3 Posted Jul 11th 2009 11:07PM]

Hm, edit... doesn't appear to be a bionic leg after all. Can't trust everything (anything) you read on the internet.

[looselycoupled Posted Jul 12th 2009 12:09AM]

Veterinarians would not do that..

[scriptalias Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:29PM]

The goosling only had a broken leg and they only fixed it... it's not actually bionic.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:28PM]

All I'm asking for is a freakin duck with a freakin laser beam on its freakin leg

[ArcticPlumber Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:28PM]

To quote from the original article... "steel pins, nuts and bolts to build a leg brace"...

A leg brace isn't a Bionic limb at all!

[KRISC123 Posted Jul 12th 2009 6:06AM]

We have been mislead. This is an outrage!! somebody get me the president!!

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 12th 2009 3:57PM]

That wont do you any good. He's involved too...

[aquatiger Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:35PM]

That's called an external fixator. It's just used to hold the bones in the right place until it heals. I doubt they make plates small enough to fix a duckling leg, which is why they had to use that.

[Jamesg Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:39PM]

Like that Gizmodo post pointed out. Having a leg brace doesn't make anyone (or anything) "bionic"

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 11th 2009 9:46PM]

Tiggywinkles? You're all concerned that this might not be a true "bionic" leg, and yet you overlook the fact that they're nursing it back to health in Tellytubby land?

[DoctaDJones Posted Jul 11th 2009 10:47PM]

Is Tiggywinkles the British version of Skynet?

[vicdezen Posted Jul 12th 2009 2:11AM]

For the curious, the hospital is named after a hedgehog from a Beatrix Potter book called "The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles" (probably because it has a special hedgehog ward).

[OLight Posted Jul 13th 2009 4:38PM]

I'm thankful that I'm not the only one who made this observation.

I mean, Tiggywinkles, really? And they wonder why we won the Revolutionary War....

(And please, avoid the straight-man rebuttals such as "supply lines were too lengthy" or "the French helped" - I know, I know, it was a joke, so just leave it at that.)

[tiuk Posted Jul 11th 2009 10:00PM]

Love that this is filed out "Wearables".

[tiuk Posted Jul 11th 2009 10:00PM]

out = under

[Gad Get Posted Jul 11th 2009 10:18PM]

No it doesn't.

[sfmitch Posted Jul 11th 2009 10:32PM]

Love the headline!!