It had been a few weeks since I saw goslings at the wildlife refuge. They grew so quickly. I watched four goslings dutifully follow their mother, then I spotted a fifth one. He was limping and struggling to keep up. It broke my heart.
Exhausted, the young goose paused to catch his breath. That’s when I noticed the father goose. The father stopped and waited while the gosling rested. He didn’t squawk at the gosling or nudge him or urge him to hurry along. He simply waited until the gosling stood up, ready to walk again. As the injured gosling hobbled along, his father slowly followed him, never taking his eyes off the little goose.
I was so struck by the father’s devotion to his baby. I watched the gosling’s progress until he and his father disappeared behind a hillside.
So much love and devotion…it made me cry.
(New photos on website Gallery: wandernature.com/new-photos)