A few days ago during my morning walk I saw a group of animals in the distance that I don't normally see in such close proximity. There were two Canada geese, their goslings, and three adult Muscovy ducks, apparently huddled together in harmony. I soon understood that there was not the peaceful coexistence that I had envisioned.
Drawing closer, I saw that one of the ducks was in fact very close to one of the goslings, upsetting one of the adult geese greatly. The goose hissed loudly and repeatedly, but did not intervene in a more direct, physical way. Still, the duck kept approaching, seemingly unfazed, uncaring or unaware of what I assume was one of the parent's distress.
I was standing perhaps ten to fifteen feet from the commotion when I saw what I thought was the duck touching the young animal with its' beak. I figured at that moment that it would kill it for sure.
I feel it is important to add here that although I found the scene upsetting to witness, I never once thought about interfering. I still find something wonderful and beautiful in even these emotionally charged and potentially sad animal interactions.
Anyway, with all that honking and shrieking accompanying, the duck made contact with the gosling, but then started to walk away. Of course, it is possible that it had wanted to attack it, but had for some reason decided otherwise, but to me it seemed that it must have just been inquisitive. Perhaps it wanted a closer look.
Although the entire happening was quite short and had unfolded in a somewhat deliberate way (these Muscovy ducks move quite slowly when walking, waddling from side-to-side as they do), there was nothing that would have suggested to me that it would come to the ending that it had.
As I continued walking, I thought about what I had seen, and how I had been so wrong in how I had foreseen it ending. I imagined then, as I do now, that there must be so many things that I must also think about in ways that don't account for the seemingly endless viewpoints and particulars that I know nothing about.
Drawing closer, I saw that one of the ducks was in fact very close to one of the goslings, upsetting one of the adult geese greatly. The goose hissed loudly and repeatedly, but did not intervene in a more direct, physical way. Still, the duck kept approaching, seemingly unfazed, uncaring or unaware of what I assume was one of the parent's distress.
I was standing perhaps ten to fifteen feet from the commotion when I saw what I thought was the duck touching the young animal with its' beak. I figured at that moment that it would kill it for sure.
I feel it is important to add here that although I found the scene upsetting to witness, I never once thought about interfering. I still find something wonderful and beautiful in even these emotionally charged and potentially sad animal interactions.
Anyway, with all that honking and shrieking accompanying, the duck made contact with the gosling, but then started to walk away. Of course, it is possible that it had wanted to attack it, but had for some reason decided otherwise, but to me it seemed that it must have just been inquisitive. Perhaps it wanted a closer look.
Although the entire happening was quite short and had unfolded in a somewhat deliberate way (these Muscovy ducks move quite slowly when walking, waddling from side-to-side as they do), there was nothing that would have suggested to me that it would come to the ending that it had.
As I continued walking, I thought about what I had seen, and how I had been so wrong in how I had foreseen it ending. I imagined then, as I do now, that there must be so many things that I must also think about in ways that don't account for the seemingly endless viewpoints and particulars that I know nothing about.
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