A burned goose was brought to the wildlife rehab organization Back to the Wild in Castalia, Ohio. She had been spotted sitting on her nest full of eggs while it burned during a suspicious fire.
“It’s just her instinct to protect the babies, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around her,” Sammie Villa, Back to the Wild staff supervisor, told The Huffington Post. “All she’s thinking is, ‘I need to keep my babies safe.’”
Because the fire is the subject of a police investigation, Villa was unable to provide more detail about what started the blaze.
The caller put the fire out with a bucket of water, but it was too late for the eggs to survive, Villa said. The mother managed to escape without any internal injuries, but nearly all of her feathers had burned off. Back to the Wild staff took in the bird to nurse her back to health.
But the poor goose got a second chance when the wildlife center took in six goslings with no mother. Mother goose immediately took the brood under her wing, keeping them in line and protecting them from perceived threats. When the goose has recovered all her feathers, the family will be released into the wild together. See more pictures at the Huffington Post.
(Image credit: Back To The Wild, Castalia, Ohio)