Animal Profiles:
Mother Goose
Ulysses sounded like a good strong name, worthy of this goose who had survived severe starvation in a barren pen on a horse farm in Maryland. Her companion was not so lucky, and had died within hours of her arrival at the Sanctuary, so emaciated that she was little more than bones and feathers. The woman who rescued the geese had finally convinced the neglectful owner to release them, but it was sadly too late for one, as they had only been fed occasional scraps and little else for more than two years.
| |
 |
 |
Ulysses guards her adopted goslings.
|
| |
Ulysses, obviously the stronger of the two, adapted well to life at the Sanctuary, immediately taking a long bath in the pond, relishing the cool water after years of living on bare dirt and wire. Pairing up with the other domestic geese, Ulysses waddled around the farm, nibbling the lush grass and quickly locating every feeding station around the barns and bird feeders. It wasn't until spring that we discovered, upon seeing her newly laid egg, that Ulysses was actually a female. Formerly very mellow and tame, she now became very defensive of her territory, a nest made of small twigs and grass, which she unfortunately chose to build directly outside our back door. Anyone who dared to come near would be hissed and honked at severely, and if these warnings were not enough, she would get her message across by biting the unsuspecting victim on the leg, or more often, the rear end that was retreating as quickly as possible.
This posed a problem, as we, for obvious reasons, do not allow the domestic animals at the sanctuary to reproduce. So her egg was routinely collected each day, with the hope that she would soon tire of the routine and abandon the nest.
But Ulysses was not a quitter. When the eggs continued to disappear she resiliently created her own, a piece of an old iron hinge, painted white, that she found buried in the dirt under the window. Placing the hinge in the middle of the circular nest, she stopped laying her daily egg and instead remained constantly on the nest, turning the hinge gently and talking softly to it. She would spend several minutes each day carefully covering the hinge with grass to keep it warm, after which she would rush off hurriedly to eat a few quick bites of corn. Her boyfriend Earl, a large grey goose, would assist her by stationing himself at the corner of the house to chase off potential intruders. At night she refused to leave the nest and sleep on the pond where she would be safe from raccoons and foxes. We tried carrying her to the pond in the dark and tossing her in the water, but to no avail. She usually outran us back to the nest. We had no choice but to carry her down and lock her in the chicken barn at night for her own safety, a task which was always accomplished as quickly as possible. Squawking in protest and biting us in tender places the whole way, she let us know that she did not appreciate our interference. She would pace in the barn until daylight, at which time we would open the door for her. Running as fast as her legs could carry her and honking desperately, she would return to the nest and spend the next several hours rearranging it while cooing softly to the hinge.
When it appeared there was no end to this situation, we made the harsh decision to remove the beloved "egg". One morning Ulysses made her panicked run to the nest only to discover it was empty. She searched the area for a long while, calling and digging at the ground with her beak (perhaps hoping to uncover another hinge!) After a few hours, she made her way back to the pond. We sighed in relief, thinking all was well, until we heard a loud commotion coming from a group of Canada geese. Ulysses, unable to hatch her own children, was trying to steal a wild couple's babies. The wild geese fiercely defended their goslings, and would not allow her to make off with them. But the next day we saw an amusing sight. The goose family paraded past the house, with one Canada goose in front, one behind the juveniles, and Ulysses proudly strutting alongside. Since then, she has taken her place in the family as a surrogate mom, happily taking on babysitting chores, chasing off strangers, and allowing the parents to rest and eat more frequently. Ulysses has had her wish come true -- in her own unique way she has finally become a real mother.
|
