In the animal kingdom, it’s common for mothers to care for their young. However, a Canadian man named Mike Digout stumbled upon an extraordinary sight—a mother goose tending to 47 goslings, far more than a typical brood.
Mike, a nature photographer, began working from home during the coronavirus pandemic. As part of his routine, he started taking walks along the Saskatchewan riverbank near his home in Saskatoon. Though he wasn’t particularly fond of Canadian geese at first, their nesting behavior soon caught his attention.
In May, when the first goslings hatched, Mike took an interest in them.
“They’re so cute when they’re little—like tiny tennis balls with legs,” Mike told The Dodo. “So I started taking pictures of the goslings while waiting for the beavers to appear.”
One evening, he noticed something unusual—a mother goose with an abnormally large number of goslings. At first, she had 16 trailing behind her.
“I was shocked to see her with 16 babies, so I kept coming back every night to check on them. And every time, her group seemed to get bigger,” he recalled.
What started as 16 goslings soon grew to 25, then 30, and eventually, Mike spotted the goose and her mate with an astonishing 47 goslings!
One of the photos Mike shared on Facebook humorously read, “This is a long line of goslings. It keeps going… and going… and going…”
Mike soon realized the goose was caring for the young of multiple families—a phenomenon known as a gang brood, which is common in urban and suburban areas with a high concentration of nests.
In human terms, this would be similar to babysitting. These geese help give other parents a much-needed break by temporarily caring for their goslings.
“It was incredible how calm she was with so many babies around. She seems like such a patient mother,” Mike noted.
The massive gang brood has since split into three smaller family units, but the devoted goose couple is still looking after about 25 goslings.
This heartwarming story serves as a reminder of nature’s wonders and the incredible parenting instincts found in the animal world.
