Deer, Goose Form Unlikely Friendship (VIDEO)

BUFFALO, N.Y. - An unusual springtime friendship between a deer and a nesting goose appears to have blossomed inside a cemetery in Buffalo, N.Y. For the past week or so, the deer has been standing near an urn where the goose has taken up residence, positioning itself between the urn and any passing car or foot traffic.

Craig Cygan noticed the unlikely pair during his regular patrols with his goose-chasing border collies. He says there is no mate around the goose and he believes the deer has taken over the job of protecting the nest.

Cornell University wildlife expert Paul Curtis says deer and geese usually don't pay any attention to each other.

Forest Lawn Cemetery officials are trying to arrange for a webcam so the curious can check in on the nest.

WATCH:

Comments

[O Dannyboy]

01:01 AM on 04/14/2011

Look for a rider to the next Republican budget proposal which bans displays affectionate and/or protective behavior between deer and geese.

[librainstars]

04:20 PM on 04/11/2011

What a great story. What a wonderful defender that deer is. Animals are amazing.
We could all learn by them.

[celtics]

10:12 AM on 04/11/2011

Maybe the policeman in Texas who pepper sprayed the baby squirrel could learn something from the deer.

[thromulese]

03:14 PM on 04/11/2011

If this was happening in Texas they’d probably shot the goose, pepper spray the deer, and then say they were protecting the dead from wild dangerous beasts.

[brooklyncitizen]

10:40 PM on 04/11/2011

nope,they'd shoot both and eat them in Texas.

[PatA]

06:35 PM on 04/12/2011

for sure, a university student, in Texas could be packing and shoot the goose......

[O Dannyboy]

01:02 AM on 04/14/2011

You can't really appreciate Roast Suckling Squirrel without a nice pepper marinade.

[Kenz300]

09:57 PM on 04/10/2011

Nice story -- too bad humans can not get along and take care of each other.

The greedy top 2% want it all.

[John Roman]

05:26 PM on 04/12/2011

Nice segue!

[OC4Obama4Pres]

06:04 PM on 04/12/2011

They (top 2%) didn't do so well in France a couple of centuries ago.

[O Dannyboy]

01:03 AM on 04/14/2011

Something about lopping off the top 10% of each 2%er?

[StephenJK]

09:52 AM on 04/10/2011

Nature and it's constiuent, consciousness, works in myriad mysterious ways.

[jh2]

04:32 PM on 04/09/2011

Reminds me of Horton Hatches The Egg...

[Rinalia]

12:20 PM on 04/09/2011

What a sweet story, but probably not insanely rare. I'm sure we all know of inter-species friendships.

[LynnyC]

03:17 PM on 04/12/2011

yeah my Siamese cat doesn't like my other cat, but she likes my corgie and my pitbull. And my rabbit likes my other cat. Maybe it's because they are both fluffy. :)

[cherifleury]

09:38 AM on 04/09/2011

This is unusual, I'm sure, but perhaps not as unusual as we may think.

I live in a rural area on a small pond where a family of sandhill cranes has chosen to nest and raise offspring for two seasons now. One evening I looked out my window and watched as a fawn, who was accompanied by its mother doe at a distance, cautiously and inquisitively approached the family of sandhill cranes, two adults and two young chicks. The adults didn't respond, as they normally might at the approach of a possible threat with their usual trumpeting, which they've done when I've been outside and got too close.

Unfortunately, the deer spotted me in the window, and retreated into the brush, which surrounds the perimeter of our property, but not before the fawn practically touched furry nose to tiny beak with one of the baby cranes. It was an amazing sight to see.

I love stories like these.

On a sad note, one of the two recent crane chicks that was being raised this season has gone missing, and I believe the culprit may be a hawk, who has also chosen this area as his territory. :'( I wonder if the presence of a protective deer in this case might have made the difference, had there been one.

[brooklyncitizen]

10:42 PM on 04/11/2011

actually the fact that it is a hawk is kind of poetic.
in my little backyard I have witnessed them swoop down on unsuspecting sparrows and it is beautiful in a primitive sort of way.

thanks for sharing your story

[cherifleury]

10:17 AM on 04/12/2011

Thank you for your reply.

You're right about the hawk: I thwarted a hawk's attempt to capture a baby duckling here a couple of years ago, and was remorseful afterwards. I have no idea if it's the same one in charge now.

Also, years ago, I broke up a battle between two hawks that was going on in my front yard. I assumed they were fighting for territory. They were both grounded and in a death lock, each pecking at the other at intervals, and it appeared to have been going on quite some time before I intervened. They made no sound throughout the sequence of events, and retreated in different directions. I only discovered it when I noticed the shadows of a gathering flock of buzzards -- the flight of which was flickering in the sunlight, filtering through a bedroom window -- and went to see what was going on. I don't know if the buzzards were waiting for one of the hawks to die, or had another target in mind, but there was no smell of decay in the immediate vicinity, and they were definitely circling within the air space directly above.

A strange and awe-inspiring event (at least for me). It's like a bird magnet here, and I have lots of other bird stories and anecdotes about them I could tell. lol

Now that I think of it, I guess I messed up the buzzards' dinner plans that day, as well.

[jeepster455]

08:07 AM on 04/09/2011

This is beautiful. Seems to me humans can learn a lot from these animals. Wonder what will happen once the eggs hatch, will the deer still be the protector?

[O Dannyboy]

01:06 AM on 04/14/2011

Yeah, like: humans aren't the only ones who are dying to spend some time in a cemetary.

[Argon Jupiter]

07:22 AM on 04/09/2011

Too cool for words....

[iluvwhtchix]

05:07 AM on 04/09/2011

Reminds me of the friendship of the hippo and the tortoise. Those two were inseparable!

[mistlesuede]

09:03 PM on 04/08/2011

I saw this story the other day on our local affiliate in Buffalo, WGRZ.
I love it.
It's nice to have something like this to see and enjoy when all of the news these days is just overwhelmingly depressing.

[Ditchmonkey]

08:28 PM on 04/08/2011

Socialism has infiltrated everything in this country. I blame Obama.

[linton]

08:19 PM on 04/08/2011

That deer will soon learn to fly like a goose. Hope the GOP can do the same for the less endowed instead of gunning to take everything from them.

[Hopethisworks]

07:50 PM on 04/08/2011

Oh Dear.