Royal Watch News

Prince Charles gets goose tribute

Nov 13, 2012, 16:01 GMT

Prince Charles

A rescued goose has been named in honour of Britain's Prince Charles.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently rescued three of the birds from slaughter at a foie gras farm in France and decided to mark the 64th birthday of the prince - who refuses to serve foie gras at royal functions - tomorrow (14.11.12) by naming one of the animals after him.

PETA Senior Programmes Manager Yvonne Taylor said: 'The prince has taken an admirable stand against a product so vile that its production is banned in the UK.

'We could think of no better tribute than to name one of the gentle geese rescued from a foie gras farm during our investigation in his honour.'

The animal rights organisation have sent Charles a framed certificate to commemorate their tribute.

Foie gras is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese huge amounts of food through metal tubes that cause their livers to swell to as much as 10 times their normal size, resulting in a disease called 'hepatic steatosis'.

The pipes sometimes puncture the birds' throat and many suffer ruptured internal organs, fungal and bacterial infections and liver failure.

Prince Charles the goose will now live at an animal sanctuary in France along with one of his fellow rescued birds, a goose named Sir Roger in honour of PETA's foie gras campaign ambassador, Sir Roger Moore.