Image copyright SINA WEIBO Image caption The goose now has a bright future ahead of him

A goose has won a place at a prestigious Chinese university after its owner joked she was "reluctant to cook it".

In a public post on Weibo, a woman named Ms Wu said she was worried she would not be able to care for "Gugu" when she moved house.

She appealed to Shanghai Maritime University to help.

The university was quick to respond, announcing Gugu's admission in a post on its official Weibo page.

Ms Wu said in her post that she found the goose while fishing.

"He was all yellow when I first got him but now he is handsome," she said. "He was with me for a year and a half but I am moving to a new place."

She asked the university - which already keeps a flock of geese - to take on the bird, saying she was "reluctant to cook it".

The university said it would gladly invite him to join their "big goose family".

Image copyright SINA WEIBO

Ms Wu's post went viral among Chinese social media users on the popular Sina Weibo microblogging site. "What a touching story," said Jule Oh. "I hope Gugu finds a forever home, maybe a big lake he can swim in."

"Every animal deserves a happy life. I only hope to see the same for this goose and I hope she was joking about killing it. Gugu is not meant to be Peking duck," said another user.

Other Weibo users criticised Ms Wu's actions, calling her an "irresponsible pet owner".

"She clearly loved and cared for Gugu so why is she giving him up just like that instead of trying to accommodate him with her new lifestyle," wrote a disgruntled Weibo user from Beijing.

Gugu's new home will be on campus, close to a local lake in a protected wildlife area.

"We hope Gugu will grow healthy and strong," said the university.