Long-term local says goodbye to Douglas Inner Harbour

A local resident of 25 years has had to say goodbye to the place he calls home after falling ill.

'Willis' the Goose has been a resident of the Inner Harbour area in Douglas for many, many years but has recently been picked up by the Manx Wild Bird Aid.

Locals noticed he was spending a lot of time out of the water and acting oddly - upon inspection, it was found he had a disease called 'bumblefoot'.

Due to the severity of the condition the charity had to admit the goose into their care, as left untreated the infection can spread to the bone or cause fatal sepsis.

The charity has described the incident as 'necessary but a little sad too' - volunteers say because Willis is a 'domesticated' species - who was probably dumped in Douglas at some point - it's illegal to return him.

Once Willis has undergone treatment he will go to a retirement home, to live out his remaining years with plenty of other Geese for company.