Bambi Protects Mother Goose

[The Straight Story]

Bambi Protects Mother Goose

BUFFALO, NY - It's a scene right out of a Disney movie, a mother goose has lost her lifelong mate and was left alone to create and tend to her nest. She spends the day sheltering her eggs from the cold spring air inside an empty cemetery urn chosen as home.

The loss of her male partner now makes her vulnerable to any would-be predators who choose to approach the nest. But, in an unlikely twist of fate, an adult deer has befriended the mother goose, taking over the role of protector.

This animal arrangement is highly unusual, since there's no known way that a deer and goose can communicate. Yet somehow the deer has come to understand the need of the nesting mother.

The deer now spends its days near the urn acting as guardian when needed. As passersby approach the area the deer stands and places itself between the person and the nesting goose. On one occasion the deer even took a protective stance taking on a barking dog near the area of the urn.





http://northbuffalo.wgrz.com/news/environment/bambi-protects-mother-goose/54141

[HopeHoops]

1. Republican solution: shoot them both.

Just sayin'.

[freshwest]

5. In my blue area, the cops stop traffic for geese and we help salmon get off roadways to spawn when..

Their creeks overflow and take them on the highway.

Hey, that's the long term view and it's a lot of fun.

We're all kin. Looks like the animals knew it first. I've seen a number of pictures like this and videos too.

The republicans don't know what they're missing.

[HopeHoops]

15. In N. VA (Reston), I used my car to block two lanes of traffic for a goose and her chicks.

Two SUVs went up the curb onto the median strip to go around. Asswipes. I got out of the car and guarded them as they crossed. It was a 20' long '84 Colony Park wagon so I had no trouble blocking off two lanes. I did the same thing for turtles and they've got some HUGE fucking turtles down there!!! I did my best to scoot one out of a really dangerous section of road. I would have picked it up but the fucker was a good 20" wide and probably weighed about 80lbs.

[freshwest]

16. Good work there.

[elleng]

18. Make way!

[freshwest]

20. Spirit of life and love we adore thee.

Sorry, just made that one up. Love the picture!

[elleng]

22. Thanks.

Thanks.


:hi:

[elleng]

23. P.S., Forgot to say, this was in DC, outside Treasury Dept,

on Pennsylvania Ave. 1-2 blocks from White House, + the guy was a Park Policeman!!!

[Lefta Dissenter]

30. We have salamander crossings

the seasonal migration route takes the tiger salamanders across our road, so when we see the first one, we put up "Salamander Crossing" signs to warn drivers and bikers (we're on the Ironman bike route, so there's a constant stream of bikers around here, training). Then particularly on the damp evenings, there can be dozens of the little guys plodding across the road. We go up to carry them across, and oftentimes people will stop to move several as they drive or pedal by. Sometimes we'll have to use 5-gallon buckets, fill about half-way with salamanders, carry them across the road to the little park, empty them out, lather, rinse, repeat. It can be a race against the drivers when you see the little crawler from 50 yards away, and there's a car approaching - some people are completely oblivious to what is on the road in front of them.

Last summer we moved a big snapping turtle across in the same spot. I had to run home and get a big shovel to use as a transport vehicle for him, though, because nobody was going to just put him in a bear hug to carry him across!

FUN! :)

[elleng]

17. A favorite

[LWolf]

27. In my red area to the east,

we do the same, even during hunting season.

Just last week there were two canadian geese standing in the middle of the paved road that leads to the dirt road that leads home; we all slowed, while one car stopped; a man got out and "herded" them to one side. A few minutes later, I turned off the dirt road on to the dirt road I live on, and was halted by 7 deer standing in the middle of the road. I didn't have to get out; just to wait a couple of minutes for them to all move off the road.

I know deer will charge dogs; people too, if cornered.

I wonder where that deer's group is?

[Evolve_Already]

26. Isn't that the effin'

truth.

A danger to our amurican values.

[driver8]

2. What a sweet story...animals never cease to amaze me.

Thanks for sharing this.

[lunatica]

3. Great story!

I've seen an adult goose get adopted by ducks and they stayed together for years. For all I know they may still be together. And of course I've had cats and dogs who think they're all the same species, so it isn't all that strange, but it's still cool.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. How sweet! I really hope she's not brooding unfertilized eggs though.

This could be a long wait. :(

[freshwest]

6. Not likely, she had a mate. I don't think they make eggs without that, like domestics. May be wrong.

[xchrom]

7. Beautiful. Nt

[shockra]

8. What a dear...

deer.:)

[jwirr]

9. Nature is so great. I do feel sorry for her - geese are one of the species

that mate for life. I have seen adult geese who lost their mate set down and die. Hopefully her babies will help.

[Lucinda]

10. Wonderful.

♥

[Kadie]

11. Beautiful story.

Thanks.

[ohheckyeah]

12. What a great story.

Deer are usually so skittish that they take off at the sign of strangers. The deer in my back yard don't appear to be very scared of us but are of anyone else around.

[Snoutport]

13. looking at this made some stress go away....

:0) thank you for sharing! this is one of those stories you remember forever.

[Shagbark Hickory]

14. Or maybe the deer is waiting for the right time to have a nice meal.

[Horse with no Name]

19. Luckily deer are herbivores

otherwise her goose would be cooked.

[Shagbark Hickory]

28. Maybe it's a deer x wolf hybrid.

Looks innocent enough but instinctually, it's waiting to pounce.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

21. if it were truly a Disney movie, the mother goose would be the one killed

Shortly after the one male chick hatches and goes on to have many adventures with dad, completely forgetting about mom by the next scene...

That's the Disney formula, anyway.

Sorry for that little crabby attack-- I'm just a Disney cynic.

But this is a pretty special story! So beauteous. :D

:loveya:

[mikeytherat]

25. Years ago, I watched "Finding Nemo" with a buddy who had never seen the film.

About 10 minutes in, he turns to me and says, "Damn, that was fast. Even for Disney."

mikey_the_rat

[BlancheSplanchnik]

35. glad to see you see what I see.

and that your friend does too.

So rare that people see this message that females are expendable and uninteresting. It's a foundational attitude that is SO dangerous for us women (or, perhaps it's time for new nomenclature, to reflect the role the corporate conservative theocraps would give us: uterus-systems. breeding-appliances.)

But the attitudes are so embedded in all of our cultural institutions that very few people see them.

[RaleighNCDUer]

36. Actually, that's not the message in the Disney formula.

Children bond with mothers more strongly than fathers, so seeing the mother die (always off-screen) generates a greater emotional response, and increases the identification of the kid with the motherless character. OTOH, there are always alternate mother-figure characters to fill that gap, and they are always engaging characters - Dora, in Nemo; the mother rabbit in Bambi. Then, in the absence of the mother, the previously missing father steps up to take over the parenting.

It has nothing to do with mothers, or women, being expendable, but simply plays on the very real fear of losing the mother that is common to children.

If anyone is expendable it is the father figure, who seldom shows up until he really has to. If Bambi's mother hadn't died, Bambi would have never met his father. If Nemo's mother and 400 siblings hadn't died, he'd be just one in the crowd, and his father wouldn't have ever noticed him.

[Rhiannon12866]

24. K&R! This is absolutely my favorite story of the day.

It choked me up, but I thank you so much for posting this, amazing and heartwarming. Everybody deserves a special friend. :loveya:

[LeftinOH]

29. That makes me want to have an urn as a gravestone -so wildlife can use it. n/t

[I Have A Dream]

31. Big K&R for a beautiful example of what is good in the world.

:)

[RebelOne]

32. But it is sad to know

that both these beautiful creatures are hunted and killed by humans.

[Evolve_Already]

41. It truly is quite sad.

Had the misfortune to see a bumper sticker on a pick-up that said, "If It Flies It Dies" AND "If It's Brown It's Down".

Isn't that charming?

Wouldn't want these humans within a mile of me.

[Lefta Dissenter]

33. just showed this story to my friend

who kept looking at it and saying, "Oh my, Oh my..." After a minute or two, he said, "That's enough to make someone become a vegetarian."

[BrklynLiberal]

34. Nature is so beautiful.

[ceile]

37. so sweet!

[Dappleganger]

38. Wow, reminds me of this tender scene...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00XRv4Vo7tU

[DeSwiss]

39. K&R

[Rhiannon12866]

40. Kicking!

So others will see this. This is just incredible and heartwarming, too. :wow: :kick:

[tblue37]

42. Precious. nt