Tuesday, Apr. 19, 2011

The Deer and the Goose

(Next Video: Hippo Loves Tortoise.)

In a Buffalo, N.Y., cemetery, a female goose recently chose to nest in a large stone urn on the premises. For whatever reason — be it death or delinquency — her male partner did not show, leaving the nesting goose vulnerable to the predations of the natural world. But as the above news report from earlier this month shows, the cemetery's local buck (who has roamed the grounds for a number of years) now currently guards the goose's urn, holding vigil night and day. It's unlikely the pair can communicate, nor do they appear to even touch, but still their deer-avian bond has proven so strong that the cemetery was forced to build a snow-fenced perimeter around the urn, patrolled by volunteers, in order to keep curious onlookers far away. The biggest mystery awaits: What will happen when the eggs hatch? Will the deer remain by the goose's side? Or will the deadbeat dad finally show?