LULU
It was in about August of 2000 that I met Shorty. His mother, a Maltese Poodle had had an altercation with a Border Collie and he was one of the results of the union. His owners had told me that if they could not find a good home for him then they were going to have him put down. I am not much of a small dog fan, always being fond of German Shepherds but he was so small that he sat in the palm of my hand. (and I have small hands) I figured that he would not eat too much so, “What the hell.”
Little did I realise what a Godly gift he was to me and all who have met him.
Then, in December of 2001 I was phoned by a friend in Pietermaritzburg who knew I loved German Shepherds, asking me whether I wanted a pup. He had a Malamute bitch that he had cross bred with a very highly pedigreed German Shepherd. Now, a couple of months before that I had had to say goodbye to an elderly Boerbul I had because of a growth he had on his throat. He was also starting to destroy all of my poultry.
My first introduction to Sjimbra came about 2 months later when I went to fetch him. He was about 12 weeks old by then and already quite big. He was the ugliest puppy I have ever had but you could tell by his relaxed manner that there was something very special about this man as well. He just took over the front seat of the car with me on our return trip to where I live in Kokstad, over 200 km away.
With Sjimbra I was gifted with a wonderful animal as well, but because of the Malamute in him I had to watch him a little more closely than Shorty. (nee Skew). I actually named him Skew originally because of the way he walked. Sjimbra had to be watched because of the hunting instinct inherent in him. I can only surmise that it is because of the small amount of Wolf he possibly has in his breeding.
CHAPTER 2
These were the wonderful animals I had when I was introduced to Lulu in December of 2003. Shorty and Sjimbra were already family and even though Shorty had taken over the dominant role, Sjimbra accepted him as his boss because of his age. I think I was very lucky in this because it is possibly one of the reasons why their relations with Lulu developed the way they did.
It was Wednesday 17th December, I was coming back to the farm after doing business in town when I came across one of our staff members standing in the middle of the road slowing traffic. Now, the road is not a busy one so I did not think too much about it but decided to go back and ask him if he had a problem. He then showed me this little gosling which was wandering around on the road, obviously lost. He was not willing to pick her up so I said that I would take her home and hand-rear her. I had, at one time, bred my own hybrid of chicken, and had had farm geese before so was familiar with what was necessary to rear them. I had not attempted a wild goose before but figured that it should not be too difficult. I picked her up and put her in my shirt. At the time I was not too sure as to whether it was a “he” or a “she” but it never stopped “talking” so figured it had to be a lady goose. So, hence, Lulu. I kept her in my shirt for a while so that she could warm up and hopefully she would not get shock. I know this could have killed her. I took her to show a couple of people on the farm and then took her home where I made a little nest in a cardboard box with a light to give her warmth. At first I put an old jersey/sweater in the box for her to lie on but she did not like that at all. I then had an idea that she might prefer the shirt I was wearing because it would have my scent on it. Yup, that did the trick and she accepted it like a mother. She still did not stop talking but at least she slept now.
It was then time to get some poultry growing mash for her and to see whether she would eat anything without my having to force feed her. I put some water and a little dish of feed in her “nest” and left her to feel her way around.
I guess you could say that she was my Xmas present for 2003/2004.
What worried me now were the dogs. How would they accept this little ball of down. I know that neither of them are too keen on cats and I have to keep a very close eye on Sjimbra if we are out on the farm and a buck runs past because if I dont tell him, “NO” then he is off like a shot. I have never seen him kill anything but I think the little bit of wolf which he has in him is too much when it comes to hunting and he loses control of himself. I have told him that if he wants to be a human next time around then he has to start behaving himself now.
I had Lulu in her box, in the lounge of the house I live in, so that I could keep an eye on her and to make sure that Shorty and Sjimbra did not do anything untowards to her.
This is when my eyes were opened. Not so much by Sjimbra, but by Shorty. He came to investigate this little ball and sat next to the box staring at her. There were two little holes in the side, which he would lie down next to and watch Lulu through. I think he was almost mesmerised by her and really did not know what to make of her. He just had an avid interest in this new addition to the family, although I think that at that time he was hoping/thinking that she was just an overnight visitor. I knew that if she did not make it through the night that that is exactly what she would be.
She made it through first night with flying colours so the next day I decided to introduce her and Shorty. Sjimbra would have to wait because he was much too big and would scare the living daylights out of her. That, and the possibility of him killing her without his knowing it
Boy, things really became interesting now and I learned a new respect for nature. Shorty adopted Lulu as if she were his own child. They got on so amazingly well. To see him lie there with this little gosling nestled in his fur was a wonder to me. She would climb on him and he would just lie there and accept the attention he was receiving. Then, when she would settle down for a short while he would wash her ever so gently. I was not sure at first whether he was tasting her for future reference or cleaning her but up until the time of writing he was cleaning her.
It was only a day or two before Lulu became too big for her box and, having forgotten how geese love to mess things up, I had to take her out of the box (which was now starting to stink up my lounge) and find a bigger, better place for her. I did not want to put her outside yet because she was too small and even though I did have an empty outside room where I used to raise my chicks when I was doing poultry, I was a little worried about rats. I had lost chicks before to that menace and did not want to risk poor Lulu to that fate. I had an empty bedroom so decided to make her a bigger space on the
floor with a big plastic bag for her to mess on and a couple of trunks as the walls to her new domain. I moved her light and bedding into this new area and allowed her to settle down. I tried removing my shirt at this time because I had hoped to rescue it, wash it and wear it again. That did not work. I had to give it back to her for a couple of reasons. She had now made it her own personal property and no washing was ever going to make that shirt mine again. She also would not settle down until I gave it back to her. This time I added another shirt of mine, which was about to be used as a rag.
Now, anybody who knows anything about rearing geese, actually, I think all birds in general, will know that their water is not meant for drinking. It is meant for walking in, for washing in, for mixing their food in, for spreading around their living quarters, anything but for drinking. But, it is necessary to keep fresh water available at all times because it is a most important part of their diet. I kept a couple of dishes of water available to Lulu so that even though she may mess in one or two, it is easy to clean at least one and let her mess in the others. I suppose, it would be possible to keep one so that she could not mess in it but even if it is put out of reach, so that it cannot be stood in, you can be sure that they will carry their food in their mouth to the water and mix it in. They use it to wash the food down with.
If anybody wants to try raising an animal like this as part of the family they must also be prepared to follow them with tweezers or a cloth because they cannot be house trained. I AM trying and so far I seem to have taught her not to get on my bed. This she learnt by my pushing her off every time she jumped on, (and don’t forget that geese/goslings can jump quite high.) I have seen Lulu jump at least 30cm to get up onto my bed. (I sleep on a futon). I have yet to figure out a plan for teaching her not to mess inside. Geese are rather intelligent so I don’t think it will be impossible. The only thing is that they do not really give you any signs that they want to “go” so it will be rather difficult to catch them before they “act.”
CHAPTER 3
Lulu had been indoors for over a week now and I thought it was time to introduce her to the outdoors. She had experienced it before but that was when she got lost so I was not sure whether she had good or bad memories of it. It was the weekend and I had a chance, between chores, to take her to an Oak tree I sit under now and then to relax. I could sit there and keep an eye on her, as well as the dogs. I was not too worried about Shorty but was still very wary about Sjimbra and how he would react if she suddenly ran away. Would he chase her like he would a buck or would he ignore her? Well, I eventually got the impression that they were both very wary of each other. He seemed to wonder why she was so afraid of him but I think it was his size. At one point he actually went down on his stomach so that he did not seem to be so big but unfortunately that did not help either. I wonder whether his reputation had not preceded him. Unfortunately, his instincts are rather strong and if I am not careful, if anything comes out of the bush running, I have to be very fast to stop him chasing it.
Now, and I will be saying this often, this is when nature first astounded me. Here was this little chick, straight out of the egg (almost) and the first thing she did was go eating and testing all kinds of stuff. She targetted the grass and if it was possible to be pulled or broken then it got the “taste” test. There was not much that she actually did not eat. She already, instinctively knew what was edible and what was not.
I sat there in wonderment as she and Shorty did their “window” shopping. These two definitely had a bond. The way Shorty had behaved when they first met, he seemed now to have taken over the role as her protector/teacher. We sat there for about half an hour until Lulu got tired and came to lie next to me. I guess I was her “father figure.” In the mean time Sjimbra just lay to one side and watched what was going on. I think he was a little perplexed as to why Shorty and this “Goose” were getting on so well. I think he was possibly a little jealous too.
What you have to realise as well, is that Shorty as the older of the two dogs, was here as part of my family first, so is the leader of the pack. It is sometimes rather hilarious to see this little bundle hanging on Sjimbras neck/mane, acting so fiercely while Sjimbra just stands there with a huge smile on his face, loving the attention.
We put Lulu to bed after letting her roam around the house for a while. In the beginning she was very wary about the house when I first let her roam around and she would only go where I went. Eventually she became brave enough to go and do a little exploring on her own. I knew she was enjoying herself when eventually she would come into the lounge with a big smile on her face and cobwebs hanging out of her mouth. What a character she was turning out to be.
Oh, something else that anybody who might think of raising a goose must remembe, is that they NEVER stop “talking.” When I wrote this I was not sure whether she would quieten down as she got older or not. If you allow it, it can be really distracting. BUT, don’t forget that it is just their way of staying in contact with their parents. As annoying as it might be at times. If I don’t know where she is, it is really nice to go and call “Lulu” and even though she might not come every time, she will tell you where she is. They do it while they are sleeping as well. I would be sitting at the computer, she would be sitting on my lap, fast asleep, talking away like somebody who snores. Breathe in, cheep cheep, breathe out. I did have a rather hard time with it originally but soon got used to switching off to it. The sound you don’t switch off to though is the one where they are lost, worried or in trouble. You cannot ignore that because it is like the difference between a baby which is happy and content and one that is not. You KNOW they are not happy because they will tell you using the words that they know.
CHAPTER 4
Now, there is a stream which runs through the farm, where I go regularly to attempt to meditate. It is a wonderful place to go and relax.
The next weekend I decided to take Lulu for an even more exciting outdoor trip. I drive to the stream, park the van, and walk about 100m to the place where I sit. I let Lulu run on her own and the poor thing was so small that she had a hard time getting through the tufts of grass. We eventually reached our destination and once again nature astounded me. The first thing she did was make a bee line for the water. Both Shorty and Sjimbra were with us again (those two go everywhere with me) and once again, Shorty looked after Lulu. Even though she did not swim, Lulu knew that there was food around the edges of the water. Because we were having a serious drought, the water level in the stream was rather low so there was a lot of moss and algae growing on the edges. Lulu knew instinctively that this was edible, as well as the little “water grasses” that were growing around the edges. She would not actually eat much of the moss but she would run her beak under it as if she knew that there were edible things underneath. She did eat some of the moss but generally seemed to “sift” it through her beak. The grasses she enjoyed got “mown” to the ground. I found out later that her stools, after we had been to the stream, consisted mainly of grit, which means there must have been something she was getting out of the mud.
We stayed for a half hour or so, I got my “relaxing” done, not that I relaxed very well, with watching and learning from Lulu, then we took her back to the truck and went home.
Now, Lulu , being a Goose, has a few more brain cells than the usual bird and as soon as she got used to the motion of the truck just sat next to me on the seat or on my thigh. It did take her a while to realise that she had to “hold on” and spent quite a lot of time complaining and sitting on the floor, or under my feet as I worked the clutch and brake.
CHAPTER 5
It was an uneventful week with Lulu. Now that she had a bigger place to herself she was much happier. It was still not easy to put her to bed and listen to her complaining until she went to sleep. Just like a young child. If only she could be house trained.
The next weekend I decided to take her to the stream again but this time decided to not make her walk through the grass because there is a nice spot close by. When I let her out of the truck she just stood around and waited for me to take my shoes and socks off.. She would not go anywhere until I was with her. When she got to the water she knew what to do and what to eat but I still wanted to see her swim. She seemed to be very wary of going right into the water. I sat on the edge of the water taking photos of her and because it was hot decided to put my feet in the water. That was what she was waiting for. Now the game was on. I did not realise how she was using me as a role model to teach her. And here I was busy learning from her. I sat at the waters edge with my feet in the water and they seemed to act as her security blanket. She would not venture very far and would swim around my legs. Every so often she would look at them under water as if to see why they were not going anywhere. It was truly a lesson to me finding out things that a mother goose would be teaching her young one.
That evening after bringing Lulu back from the stream I noticed that she did not look too well, her stools were almost pure water and I was worried that she had eaten something that did not agree with her. Don’t forget that I have absolutely no idea what to teach her. She is really on her own when it comes to learning. Nature has to be her teacher. As much as I have learnt on my travels I am still in the dark when it comes to wild life. (I have attempted to save the lives of birds on a number of occasions but I lost them every time). It was an evening when I connected with my former fiance over the internet (she lives in Canada) and I said to her that I did not know what to do and was going to leave her in Gods hands. I really did not expect her to be alive the next morning. I spent some time after chatting with Debra, looking for diseases on the internet which could affect a goose but the list was so long that I eventually gave up.
It was not a very “sleepy” night for me because I needed to check up on her quite regularly. She was still sleeping in the one bedroom of the house because she was still needing the warmth of the lamp at night. Well, she made it through the night and after that she was fine.
I can only think that I introduced her to the stream at too young an age and she ate something which she should not have. Or that she had too much of a “liquid” diet.
After that I took Lulu to the same spot every afternoon, if the weather was permitting. I decided to walk in the water with her so that she could see there was nothing to be afraid of other than a few crabs. (I was not sure about the crabs and how they would be with her in the water but I had nothing to worry about because even though she was still very small, the closest they came was to see who was invading their space). Even though a couple did come to investigate her, she had no knowledge of it because they never came closer than about 200mm and I was the only one who knew. I actually had a couple of nibbles on my toes when I had my feet in the water so wondered whether they would tell her to “Go find her own pond.”
OK, Now I have checked out this spot and it is safe to swim.
There are 3 small ponds where I take her and she would not go into any of the others until I had cleared the way for her. It did not take her long before she was brave enough to go into each one even though she was still very wary and would come scampering out if she got a fright. You have to realise that a gosling can run amazingly fast. If you have ever tried to catch one you will know.
Now we were starting to get other visitors at our spot, probably because other
birds realised that they had nothing to be afraid of. Lulus first experience with one was a little bird, which must have seen her and came to investigate. He landed quite close to her and slowly crept up on her. She stood and watched this for a short while and when he got too close she chased him away. Soon, we were getting visits from a variety of different birds. The most common were the Swallows. Such a happy bird they are too. They would come down to drink by skimming across the water, catching water in their beaks and would often sit on the fence close to where we were to watch Lulu.
Then there were the “Many Wives” birds which would also come around.
Lulu was also becoming braver and braver. She was now putting her head under the water and looking for food that way. It was so nice to see her first attempts at swimming under water. I found it very difficult to get photos of her doing that because she was so fast. She would not stay under for too long and was like a little bullet whilst under there, until she had an altercation with a rock. She bumped into it on one of her dives and got such a fright that it put her off diving for a while.
CHAPTER 6
Now, I did not realise how fast a gosling grew and how quickly they learnt. Their memory is quite remarkable. I have a security gate between my lounge and the outdoors, which I usually keep closed. Now, Lulu could easily fit through the bars and it took her two days to realise that fact. Eventually she found that she could come in that way by copying Shorty (who also fits through) so I left it to see whether she would remember the next day, or whether she would forget. She remembered, not that I was amazed at all because I was now becoming quite used to her learning capabilities.
Lulu was now over a month old and was rapidly losing her baby feathers which were making way for her adult plumage. She still did not have more than a couple of cm wingspan but this was about to change. She was now becoming the “Ugly Duckling” as her old feathers were making way for new ones, she became rather tatty and did not look very “tidy.” (something like myself on a bad hair day).
Her changes were noticable every day now, that is how fast she was growing. Every day taking her to her spot at the stream was a new lesson and I never seemed to run out of new photos to take.
I said earlier that I was very wary about leaving her outdoors unsupervised but I had forgotten how good her eyesight was. One of the things I like to do is leave her on her own for longer and longer periods at the stream. I would go away and try not to let her know where I was. Everything would be fine, no matter how far away I would be, as long as she could see me. As soon as she could not she would squeel and come running. Most of the time, not to me, but close enough so that she could see me. It is rather good for my fragile ego knowing that I have that kind of influence on her but hope it does not stop her becoming a wild bird again. That is where she belongs and no matter how hard it will be to say goodbye to her, that is where she will hopefully be returning one day. It makes my heart sore just writing and thinking about that time. At this time of writing she is only two and a half months old so still has a long way to go before we part company.
Lulu has a mind of her own and I am not sure whether it is a game with her or not but when it is time to leave the stream in the afternoons, if she does not want to go home, then she will not let you catch her. She will let you get close enough to think you have her but just as soon she will scoot out of range. I have lost count of the times I have waded after her in one of her ponds. It seems as if it is easier to catch her that way. But, if she wants to go home she will come and sit with me. I would love to be able to look into her mind.
CHAPTER 7
Now that Lulu was getting bigger I started leaving her outdoors for longer periods unsupervised. My main worry was, and still is, Hawks. They will come out of nowhere and now that she was big enough to be a meal she would be very vulnerable. I knew that I would have to start taking the chance one day and well, I would have to also start trusting my dogs with her as well. I was not too worried about Shorty dog because he and Lulu had a bond. Even though he will now growl at her when she would pull his fur. I think it is just his way of telling her that he did not like it. She was no longer a baby chick and I think her trying to take nesting material from him rather annoyed him. She and Sjimbra were still very wary of each other and I did not trust him because of his reputation.
I go for cycle rides on most afternoons after work and every day Sjimbra comes along with me. Shorty, having Collie in him, has to have at least a two or three (sometimes more if the weather is cool) kilometer run every day, so when we get home he is not very interested because I think Sjimbra takes the afternoon run as “his” chance for some exercise and just gives Shorty a hard time most of the way. (most of the time anyway) So, I decided to take a chance leaving him and Lulu on their own while Sjimbra and myself went for our run/ride. I left the back door of the house open just in case Shorty wanted to go indoors. We went for our ride, a shortened version because I
was still very wary about both Shorty and Hawks.
To digress, I used to have free range poultry and the Hawks were one of the reasons I had to give it up. They would sit in the trees above the chicken run and hunt my poor chickens. I even tried shooting them, without much success, because I really did not want to kill them. I just could not think of a way to deter them. I tried making a net over the top of the run but they actually found a way through that as well. I once came home to catch a Hawk hunting my chickens on foot, that is how brazen they are. (I was plagued mostly by Sparrow Hawks).
I remember once, before I had a lot of chickens, I was feeding my dogs, with a mother hen and her chicks scratching nearby. A small Grey Osprey?????? Came out of nowhere and snatched one of the babies. The baby did not make a sound and the mother hen did not even know that she had lost one. Another time I was working in my veggie garden early one morning when I heard a cheep, cheep above me. There was a Sparrow Hawk, with a baby chick in its claws, flying overhead. I found out later that it had “borrowed” the chick from a house just up the road from me.
Back to my story. I cut our ride short because I did not want to come home to a missing or dead Lulu. I should have known that she was not a fool because when I got home, there she was, not eating outdoors, but asleep on my bed, talking to herself as usual. And people say birds are stoopid. Don’t you believe it. I felt much better now that we had survived the first ride and even though I leave her on her own for longer and longer periods now I still check on her regularly. She has started grazing the kikuyu around the house now and a while ago found out that beetles were a delicacy. I think because of the drought we are experiencing this year (apparently the worst in 50 years) we have had a huge influx of Rose Beetles. They ate almost all leaves off my grape vine before I realised that it was not the Mouse Birds (which are another menace here). There were so many Rose Beetles that they were attacking the Oak trees as well. I have an old Oak outside my one gate where I often sit to relax (the one where I took Lulu on her first outdoor trip) which was being eaten so I would shake the branches I could reach so that the beetles would fall off. This was really nice for Lulu because she would eat them. Boy, could she put them away too. Like a child that has just had its first sweet. She would walk around talking to herself, eating as many of the beetles as she could find.
Once, while I was waiting for her at the stream, I saw a strange beetle and was watching it when Lulu also noticed it. It was a rather harder shelled beetle than the Rose Beetles (something like a Dung beetle) so I did not think Lulu would have been interested but lo and behold, she noticed it and even though it took her a while to crush and swallow, she managed it without too many problems. To think that I was not able to get a photo. Why is it that the best pictures happen when you don’t have a camera or are too slow to get the shot?
CHAPTER 8
It was a regular thing now that I would leave Lulu on her own at home, with or without Shorty. He still would sometimes come for a run/ride with us when the mood took him, or Sjimbra would allow him. I would leave the back door open because it was invariably so, that even if I left Lulu and Shorty at home together while Sjimbra and myself were away, we would get home every day to find Lulu indoors. Probably waiting or looking for us. She would not always be on the bed and once or twice was waiting with Shorty on the steps to the door but mostly she would just be walking through the house, talking and muttering to herself under her breath as usual.
Her voice was also now starting to change and I am not sure, as I write this, whether the new noises she was starting to make were a change in her voice or just her way of communicating with me. Every so often, especially when she was relaxed, she would get a sound which sounds something like a loud purr coming from her throat. Time will tell whether this is her maturing, or her way of saying that she is happy.
I leave my bicycle indoors and the one afternoon when I was wheeling it out I heard Lulu squeel. I could not figure out why until I noticed that she had her foot/flipper, caught under the back wheel. I told her that she was much to young to ride and anyway the bicycle was much too big for her. I was, at that time, in the throes of making a trailer, which I could tow behind the bicycle and was hoping that when she got older we could take her for rides with us as well. It was also my hope that I could use it to put Shorty in when we went for longer rides so that if he got tired I could put him in it and carry on further with our trip.
I think Lulu was aware of the trailer and did not like the idea too much because the one afternoon, Shorty was deciding to join us on our ride but Lulu wanted to join us as well. She saw Shorty go so ran next to the bicycle with me. I then had to give up the afternoons ride because there was no way I was going to let Lulu run. When I stopped she actually ran after Shorty, who had not realised that we were not going anywhere that day. I am still amazed at how fast a young goose can run. She did not seem to struggle, but then I only rode for about 20 meters. Maybe, at least I am hoping, that when she gets older and can fly, she will come with us in the afternoons, flying instead of running.
CHAPTER 9
Lulu was growing incredibly fast and it was even an eye opener for me, who sees her every day, how fast she was growing and maturing. Every day something would be different about her. In the beginning I thought she was a Spurwing chick but as soon as she started getting her mature, proper adult feathers, it was very easy to see that she was not a Spurwing but an Egyptian Goose. That means she will be a lot smaller (Egyptian Geese are about half the size of Spurwing Geese) but she is going to be very much more beautiful. A Spurwing is more or less a black and white bird, not very interesting, but as you will see from the photos, an Egyptian is very beautiful. I also think she will be a little harder to get to go back to her wild, natural state, but only time will tell.
I have noticed that as she grows she seems to be becoming more friendly and also less afraid of Sjimbra. She used to be very wary of him and if he was lying in an area where she had to go, then she would not go because she was afraid to pass him. Now they seem to be slowly getting used to each other and she will almost walk next to him. Even though Sjimbra might look at her longingly every so often I am sure there is no thought of damaging her in his mind. Still, I do keep a careful watch on him.
It seemed as if one day she had her baby feathers and the next they were all gone and she had her full mature plumage. In reality it took a couple of weeks to happen but it seemed like just a couple of days. I used to find what I thought were skin flakes on the carpet where she used to lie next to me until I realised that they were actually flakes from her feathers. I suppose it was skin in a way because I think that as the feathers grew and expanded they shed outer layers of their quills.
One evening a friend of mine came to buy some lawnmower blades for his garden service from me and Lulu just walked outside with us as if she was one of the family/dogs. I have to admit that I do like this. I am really going to miss her when it is time to say goodbye.
Now, when we go to the stream it is really great to see her in her “spot,” where she originally learnt how to swim. Paddling around, and then standing up in the area where she never used to be able to touch the bottom. It is times like these that I get nostalgic and realise how far she has come in such a short time.
Another thing is the way she is so wide-awake and aware when it comes to predators from the sky. I don’t know whether she has had a scare while I have left her on her own or not but it is a regular thing nowadays that she will have one eye scanning the sky. Obviously looking for something up there which she “knows” is bad. I have tried to find what she has noticed or what she is looking for. At first I could not find anything but after searching the sky I would eventually see a “pin prick,” so high that it was very difficult to pick up with our “human” eyes.
One afternoon we were at the stream, Lulu was “window shopping” in the long grass next to the stream, when a couple of our security guards came down the road. She silently disappeared into the grass until they had gone past. They would never have known that there was a baby goose within a meter or two of where they were walking.
The same thing happened a while after that but this time she was caught in the open. What she did then was really amazing. She ran to the dogs who were a little way off. Sjimbra came to investigate the “strangers” with Lulu and Shorty close behind. When the guards had gone out of range Lulu ran to the water and looked in the direction they were headed with her head cocked to one side, as if to say, “Whew, that was a close one.”
She has also learnt another trick and that is that she has found out that if she can stand on something on the seat of the truck when we are driving then she is able to see out of the window. This she is getting to quite enjoy because now she is able to see where we are going. In the afternoons she knows we are going to the stream because of the routine (I think). Either that or she is just guessing, but she always seems to be aware of the area she is in. When we get there, no matter what the temperature, she knows where the water is and is already busy swimming before I have even had a chance to remove my shoes and socks.
CHAPTER 10
I said earlier that Lulu was becoming tamer as she was maturing. Well it really seems as if I am right. I have now experienced her attachment to me in two ways.
On the weekend I try to relax and catch up on lost sleep because being early in the dairy almost every day takes it out of one so I try to get a little “catch up” sleep. Lulu, as I told you, has become a part of the family in her mind and this day she showed me how.
She came and lay on the bed with me the same way Shorty does (I let him sleep on the bed with me) with her head up under my armpit, nestled against me. I think it must have been my deodorant or lack thereof. She just went to sleep there. Now this is from a bird who will make you catch her when it is time to leave the stream.
Then, after dairy on the same day I was video taping the cows in the herd (4 plus the bull) describing them nicely. Their ages, how many teeth each one had, how many calves, their weights and sexes, the amount of milk they produce, the length of their inner thighs and some finer details, when Lulu came looking for me. She was ignored by the ladies of the herd at first but then one by one they came to investigate her. The cows are always bored after dairy because they are full and today was no different. There was no animosity at first but then one of the cows decided to find out how fast Lulu could run. She did OK for herself. I did get a little worried for a while that she might get trampled but she survived. This was her first introduction to the herd. The only one who did not show an interest was the bull but then I think his mind was on bigger things.
I went to look for Lulu afterwards but could not find her. I tried climbing over a fence but with one thing and another getting caught on the barbs I gave it up as a bad job. I then walked back the way I had come because there was a gate there. I still could not find her and after looking around the house and inside I started to worry a little. She will always tell me where she is if I call her. I could not hear her so was worried that maybe she had had too much of a fright and was hiding herself in the grass. Luckily though. I eventually heard her cheeping. She had probably seen me going back the way I had come instead of jumping the fence and was following me. This was both clever and not so clever because she would have probably been chased by them again because she was heading back towards them. This time, when she saw where I was, she came to me when I called.
So now Lulu has had her first skirmish with a dairy cow.
CHAPTER 11
I wonder how many people are aware of how many feelings a goose can show. I have experienced lonliness and jealousy so far. The lonliness I get every night when I put her in her room when it is time for her to go to bed. She complains bitterly for a while before she settles down. It can be quite painful listening to her shouting at the door to her room. When I go “walkies” at night I go past her room and say “Hi” to her as I go past and it is not often that she will not reply. In the mornings when I am up and about and she knows, she will sit there and call, possibly hoping that she will be let out.
A couple of times I have experienced her being jealous. I was not sure about it the first time I saw it but now it has happened a couple of times so it must be something they feel. Every so often Shorty gets very playful with me and we tease each other. He can make a bit of a noise and every time we play like that Lulu gets all excited and wants to join in. The only thing is that she does not seem too sure of what to do, so just stands there and shouts. I suppose she could be telling us to stop because we are annoying her but I really get the feeling that she wants attention and to play as well. She is very highly strung, and I think this goes for all geese and probably all wild animals because of the survival instinct. They are always on the lookout for predators and threats to their existence so they do not relax as a domesticated animal will.
I would allow her to sleep on the bed at night with Shorty and myself if I could figure out a way to house train her. She is part of the family now and it is a little difficult not being able to treat her as such.
Every day I get the feeling a little stronger that she will not want to leave. I certainly do not want to see her go and will always leave her room with a “Vacant” sign on it so that she will feel welcome if she decides to leave and return. She can then come and go as she wishes. It is still a while before she will be flying and I have a lot yet to learn from her.
I have a lot of love and respect for nature, always have had and always will have. Being with, and learning through Lulu has just strengthened that feeling in me.
CHAPTER 12
I have been watching Lulu lately, at the stream and at home and even though she will make me chase her to go home from the stream, while we are at home she will not let me out of her sight. I don’t know whether this is a compliment or just her way. I still cannot work out why she does not want me to catch her at the stream and yet follows me like one of the dogs at home. I thought it would be the other way around. She is familiar with the house and garden so I would have thought that she would be more at home here on her own. Maybe she is still very wary of Sjimbra and feels more at home or safer in water, I still have to work it out. I know that if he is lying in a doorway that she needs to go through she will not pass him and would rather stand there and shout her lungs out until I go and help or Sjimbras ears hurt and he moves out of the way.
Another thing that is going to be rather interesting is when she starts going for “test flights.” Am I going to have to be the one to teach her or will she learn on her own. Will I have to tie a string around her waist and pull her behind my bicycle as if she were some kind of kite. I just hope she does not want me to go through the motions as well because everybody has their limits and that is mine. The way her wings are growing I don’t think it will be very long before she flaps them and her feet lift off the ground. I guess this will be the equivalent of a human babys first word. She had her first step, that was the pond and now she is getting close to “lift off.” I will have said this before. Every day is a new experience with her.
CHAPTER 13
Lately, when vacuuming I have been finding tiny flakes from Lulu. I can only surmise that these are some of the bits from feathers which are close to her skin, that are expanding and like a snake sheds its skin, these bits flake off as her feathers get bigger. A couple of the pieces actually still have more or less the shape of the quill which goes into her skin. I think they fall off when she is preening herself. They actually feel a little oily/greasy and break down to powder when you squeeze then between anything. Don’t forget that I have allowed her free access to the house and she takes full advantage of it. She still remembers that she can fit through the security door and I think she will only realise that she can no longer fit when she gets stuck. As for the small flakes, they do not worry me over much because I take her swimming every day which keeps her shiny clean and she spends a lot of time preening herself. I think this is when she takes advantage of the water to help her get rid of the flakes. There are times when I am putting her on the ground after taking her from the truck, she jumps off too soon and lands in the dust. Then she is a little dirty. Generally though, I think that geese are quite clean birds and do not carry any serious disease. Do not take my word for it though, I am like a mother with her first born. (in the dark most of the time)
The time will hopefully come when she is once again a free spirit, then I will no longer allow her into the house, (that’s if she returns at all) because then I cannot be too sure that she has not picked up lice or something like that. I know that poultry are rather prone to that and actually found it on one or two of my chickens. But then I never saw any of my chickens going for an intentional swim, other than the occasional “dust bath.” This is possibly where they try and get rid of any parasites they might be carrying. Lulu, being (al be it) temporarily domesticated, gets better treatment than her wild counterparts so I am not too worried about her carrying anything bad with her.
CHAPTER 14
I have had a new experience with Lulu lately. I usually have a rather tough time catching her after being at the stream because she never wants to leave when I do. I decided to try a different approach and instead of trying to catch her I just followed her. She really enjoyed this and first of all took me through her pond, then away from the water, then back again, then away. The whole time she kept on looking at me the way birds do, cocking her head to one side, looking at me through one eye as if to say, “There you go, that is the way.”
I also got the impression that she was trying to teach me something because every so often she would stop and look at me as if saying, “That is how you do that,” and then, “This is how you do this.” I told you that every day with Lulu is a learning thing. Then, when she had got tired of leading me on she let me catch her quite easily by getting stuck in some long grass.
I have decided trying to take her for short walks now when time permits so that she can broaden her horizons. She is now starting to flex her wings more and more and is also spending more time away from the water. She still favors it though and I think she always will. She also seems to spend less time diving but I think the main reason for that is because the pools are now becoming too shallow for her and she bumps her head on the bottom.
I have been filming two Crested Cranes we have on the farm (they are on the endangered species list) who regularly eat at the one land we are preparing for winter pasture. The special thing is that the one has only one and a half legs. The one has been taken off at about 3 or four inches above the foot. He has been around for a couple of years and seems to do alright for himself. I have noticed two Egyptian Geese in the area with them and I am pretty sure that they are Lulus parents. I wonder whether they will accept her back again when she is flying. They are probably the pair I had at one time. I bought them from a chap who had clipped their wings rather badly and fed them until they could fly again. The one lady has a mate and they are regular visitors here. The mate is very wild and keeps his distance but I often see her close to my house. I have a feeling that Lulu is one of their chicks who will hopefully survive to run free again. The parents have bred right near my house a couple of times but I don’t think any of their chicks have ever survived because the Hawks prey on them.
There is still a lot of learning to go through with Lulu and I can see a LOT of different experiences. I am just hoping that I can get them all on video.
CHAPTER 15
After my little attempt at catching Lulu another way I decided to try something on a similar track. I dropped her off at our usual place at the stream and then went for a walk because I had a little work to do. I was hoping that Lulu would follow and come for a walk as well but she was much too interested in what she was doing in the stream. I have never left her at the stream for as long as this and was not sure whether she would have missed us. With my experience of her not worrying until she could not see us, I thought that she would have been worried. We got back and to my disappointment she was grazing away and did not miss us at all. Then a thought hit me. The VAN. I had left it where I usually park so maybe she recognised it and knew that we were still in the area. I
decided to try something so drove the van to a spot where she could not see it and then sneaked back a way where I thought she would not be aware of us. That was what it was. As I got closer I could hear her complaining although I could not see her. I came in the back way down to where she was and eventually found that she had hidden herself in some long grass and was watching me. I don’t think she recognised me at first, probably because of the situation and the direction from which I came.
decided to try something so drove the van to a spot where she could not see it and then sneaked back a way where I thought she would not be aware of us. That was what it was. As I got closer I could hear her complaining although I could not see her. I came in the back way down to where she was and eventually found that she had hidden herself in some long grass and was watching me. I don’t think she recognised me at first, probably because of the situation and the direction from which I came.
I tried getting some of the situation on film and then went to a spot where she could see me and called her. This is when she recognised me and came swimming over.
I tried the same thing when we left as I did before when we left and this time she followed us to the truck but still would not let me pick her up. We then went for a walk like before until she got tired and hid herself in long grass again. I was quite enjoying this “Catch me when I am ready to be caught scenario.”
Over the weekends I took her for longer walks in the same area in an attempt to show her what and where her boundaries were and that she did not have to stay at one spot on the stream. She was still small enough that it was not too hard to catch her although she would stay at least an arms length away and you would have to corner her before she would give in.
The trouble with Lulu is that she is too darn clever for her own good. Every day she would take me “walkies” and it was getting harder and harder to catch her. I guess I knew there would be a day when she would not allow me to, or I would give up in frustration. That day was not too far away and a couple of days later it happened. I walked with her for almost half an hour and in the end decided to drive off in the hope that she would follow. She just stood where she was and looked at me as if to say, “Why are you giving up so soon.” Well, I was rather attached to her so I stopped the van away from where she was and walked back to where she stood and tried again. Still without success. I then tried making a “catching wire” which we use to catch chickens. With it you hook them by one of their legs so that they cannot get away. Lulu was not going to fall for that one either and try as I might all she did was leave enough space between us so that I could not get close enough to catch her by the leg. In the end I just gave up in frustration and left her standing there, still with that innocent, “What did I do,” look on her face.
CHAPTER 16
That night I did not sleep very well because I was not sure how she would fare out on her own and I thought that this was when we were going to say our “Goodbyes.” You see, she had started to fly a little bit. Nothing more than a few inches off the ground but she had lifted off the ground “by mistake” a couple of times. The first time she was running to the stream with her wings open and a gust of wind lifted her off the ground. This was like seeing a child take its first step. I had been waiting for this moment and guess what? Yes, no camera, or should I say, no camera available or ready at that moment.
Now, when I was trying to catch her she would take off (sort of) and land out of reach. This was making me rather frustrated, and as you know, I eventually gave up for the day and left her.
The next morning, after a semi sleepless night I went to where I had left her after I had finished my chores in the dairy. The time must have been about 5am because the sun was just coming up. I was not sure whether she would have survived the night because of the predators around. I know we are supposed to have Otters at the stream even though I have never seen one. Something catches crabs at night because you often find their shells lying around.
I was driving slowly and eventually, thank God, found her on the same road but
closer to home than where I had left her before. Was she going home on her own? I still don’t know and still wonder. The problem is that it is about a 4km walk for her so she would have taken six months to get here. I parked the truck and sat on the ground to see whether she would come to me. She did, but only close enough so that I could not catch her. I was extremely pleased to find out that she had survived the night and was none the worse for her experience. I tried catching her but we played the same game as the day before so I decided to leave her until I could enlist the help of one of our staff after roll call.
closer to home than where I had left her before. Was she going home on her own? I still don’t know and still wonder. The problem is that it is about a 4km walk for her so she would have taken six months to get here. I parked the truck and sat on the ground to see whether she would come to me. She did, but only close enough so that I could not catch her. I was extremely pleased to find out that she had survived the night and was none the worse for her experience. I tried catching her but we played the same game as the day before so I decided to leave her until I could enlist the help of one of our staff after roll call.
At around 8am I had one of my assistants with me going back to where Lulu had been earlier on but we could not find her. I was eventually lucky enough to see just her head sticking out of a little tuft of grass. She had hidden herself, probably from predators. (we do have a number of Hawks in our area, namely Sparrow Hawks and the odd Osprey. There are also Crested Eagles and the odd Vulture). Now, I thought it would be a piece of cake to catch her but once again we had no luck so decided to leave her until the afternoon when I would come on my own with the rest of my family (the dogs, who she is familiar with).
After work I went to the spot where I had taught her to swim and sat there. She was sitting in an area quite far away from us so I just pretended to ignore her and paddled around, trying to coax crabs into taking a nibble at my feet. Eventually, when she realised that we were not going to try and catch her (yet), she came down to the water and joined us. I think that the dogs had a big influence in her decision making because she and Shorty had a very strong bond between the two of them.
I sat there playing silly buggers and she eventually came closer and closer to me. I realised that if I was going to catch her I would not get more than one or two chances so had to be patient until I was almost positive that I would be able to catch her. It took a while but this time I succeeded in catching her with very little fuss from her. I took her and put her in the front of the truck while I went to fetch my camera, which was still at the waters’ edge. She behaved as if nothing had happened at all and stood there on my camera case as if she had not just spent her first 24 hours out on her own. (she liked standing on my camera case because then she was tall enough to be able to see out of the window).
I took her home and decided that that would be the last time I took her to the stream with me. The next time would be under her own wings.
CHAPTER 17
Now that Lulu was staying at home all day, albeit in and around the house and surroundings I had another problem to fight. She had a big bond with Shorty and was slowly losing her fear of Sjimbra. Now that she was getting bigger her fears were becoming less and less. This did not make her survival instinct any less though. I remember one time at the stream she had her head cocked to one side and was watching the sky with one eye. (this is a sure sign that she has spotted something unfriendly). It took me a while to see what she was watching because it was so far away that it was just a speck of dust in the sky.
As in the beginning, before I started putting Lulu into her room at night, I gave her free range about the house for short periods. I have already said that geese are very
clean birds when it comes to their body hygiene but in other respects, oh boy. She was almost a mature goose now so her “refuse” became larger and more frequent. I used to have to go after her with a small spade to clean up after where she had been. I am, luckily, not the neatest person in the world so I was able to put up with a lot of her “doings” which she left lying around.
clean birds when it comes to their body hygiene but in other respects, oh boy. She was almost a mature goose now so her “refuse” became larger and more frequent. I used to have to go after her with a small spade to clean up after where she had been. I am, luckily, not the neatest person in the world so I was able to put up with a lot of her “doings” which she left lying around.
In the beginning she would sleep on the step of either the front or back door of the house and I would have to tidy up behind her in the morning, until she realised that she could fit through the door. (I leave it on a string so that here is enough room for the dogs to have access at night.) Now I had another problem. How to make the door so that the dogs have access, but not Lulu. I spent a couple of nights evicting Lulu three or four times a night until I had an idea of using elastic bands instead of string on the door, hoping that I could make it taught enough that the dogs could open it but not her. Ha Ha, I did underestimate the strength and intelligence of this little lady. It worked for about five minutes until she realised that she was strong enough to open the door as well. I could not make it harder because the dogs could not get out. I tried it I promise you. I eventually closed the door just before going to bed and let the dogs out after Lulu had gone to sleep. This only worked for a very short time as well because she would then follow the dogs in when they returned. I was woken up a couple of times thinking that I was being burgled when it was only Lulu trying to force her way inside.
Eventually I hit on a foolproof plan. Put her in her room at night and let her out on my way to the dairy in the morning. This worked fine except that I had to steer her to the door. Her wingspan was almost a meter now and I could not let her use them indoors. They are strictly outdoors equipment and were becoming stronger daily.
CHAPTER 18
Lulu was now becoming more and more of a “Goose” every day. What was a big body with two small wings before, was now rapidly becoming a little body with two very big wings. Since her little “Kitty Hawk” experience, she was attempting to fly more and
more often. She would only fly a couple of meters off the ground and only in straight lines at first but it was so good to see that she was slowly becoming what she was born to be. A Goose and not a “Dog Wannabee.”
more often. She would only fly a couple of meters off the ground and only in straight lines at first but it was so good to see that she was slowly becoming what she was born to be. A Goose and not a “Dog Wannabee.”
On the weekends and after work I would take her for walks with the dogs and she would hang back and then fly to where we had reached and do the same thing again. I had been video taping a pair of Crested Cranes we have on the farm, the male having its one foot missing, (I was hoping to get some footage for a TV programme) so would take Lulu and the boys with me. It was so nice to have her fly and land next to us.
Then one day I was filming the Cranes and that morning there were two wild Egyptian Geese with them. (there always seemed to be geese around them. If it was not the Egyptian then it would be the Spurwing Geese). It was one of those days when I thought Lulu had stayed behind when all of a sudden the wild geese became very agitated (I think they were both males) and I could not figure out why until I noticed that Lulu had joined us. They were very wary of me and I think mostly because of the dogs but they did come closer to inspect the stranger. She showed no interest in them at all and just did her own thing digging around in the dirt. When I am filming the Canes I slowly sneak up closer and closer to them so that I can get better pictures and this eventually scared the two geese away. Even when they flew away, giving their shrill call, Lulu took no notice.
This afternoon walk became a routine with us when the weather permitted and all of us used to look forward to them.
I was hoping to teach Lulu to follow me on the bicycle. She did try once but I was going too slowly so she did not stay with me for long. Then, one afternoon she had been grazing at the dairy and I had left her there knowing that she would probably come home when she was good and ready to. My ride on the bike goes past the dairy and as I was passing it on my return a big shadow come across me. Yes, it was Lulu. I was going fast enough for her this time and she was flying just above my head. I wish I could have been a bystander witnessing that. It must have looked hilarious. She flew as far as the house with me and then sat with Shorty.
CHAPTER 19
Lulu was becoming such a part of the family now that when Sjimbra and Shorty played she tried to join in. The two boys can get rather boisterous and I am not sure whether Lulu wanted to join in as well or was telling them to keep quiet. Now that she was flying she knew that she could not be caught. (not that the dogs had any attention of attacking her).
I was filming her having a bath in the babies bath I had bought for her (which I put under a tap) when it started to rain and then to hail with some rather nice sized hail stones. The bath is under an old peach tree so she did not notice the hail until it eventually came through the branches of the tree. Eventually she became rather agitated at being beaten up for no reason so I called her and she came to sit on the step with me, out of the rain of course.
That is the one thing I never expected from her and that is affection. Even though she would not let me pet her she would come and lie next to me in the house. I could catch her then but that is because she lay right against me.
I knew the day would come when Lulu would leave us and become wild again, even though I think I was secretly hoping she would never go. The day arrived on the 27/3/04 when she eventually left and never returned. I actually get a lump in my throat as
I write this because I miss the way she would talk to me and be waiting on the step to the kitchen when I came home from work, always with something to say. At times we almost had a conversation going. I would ask her how her day was and she would reply, “Idunnro,” or something which sounded like that.
She had been on her own during the day, every so often but always returned at night. On the morning of the 27th, I was coming down from the dairy, the sun was just coming over the horizon, when she took off and headed towards some houses which are close to the farm. She did a couple of swoops as if to say “Goodbye” and then she was gone. The week before she had taken off at about the same time and headed in the same direction but not as far. That day she returned at about lunch time.
At this time of writing it is only 3 days since she left so I guess there is still an outside chance that she might return, even if it was just temporarily. I feel as if I have just lost a child to the outside world who I feel does not know enough about the dangers which are out there, just waiting for her as a target. I do trust that she is OK and not somebodys dinner. It would be great if she would just fly over the house to let me know.
Born from wild parents, back to the wild where she belongs. I just hope and pray that she survives and thank God for giving me the opportunity of meeting and getting to know a little more about one of the other species of life with whom we share our beautiful planet.
CHAPTER 20
Now that Lulu has left us, what do I miss the most about her? There are so many things. I miss the way she would be sitting on the back steps of the house, waiting for us when the dogs and I came home after work. The way she would follow me through the house, softly “padding” behind me, never keeping quiet, always with something to say. Her feet would slap on the floor so that she actually sounded like somebody who was wearing flippers. The way she would eat the dog biscuits. (She seemed to prefer the chicken flavoured ones) even though she hardly ever ate one because they were too hard. She would pick one up, try it and if it was too hard, drop it on the floor and try another one. It was a regular thing to see her with her head down in the biscuit container. I miss the way she would eat the feed I bought her and then wash it down with water or by eating kikuyu. If the water was close at hand, this was her preferred way, even though she used to make a mess in it.
I miss the way she would follow Shorty and the way she would come for walks with the dogs and myself. She would wait until we were far away enough so that she had to fly to catch up. She would stand there and complain, then fly to where we were. I miss “evicting” her to her room at night and the way she would complain until she fell asleep. She nearly always slept near the door. I even miss having to walk behind her with a spade, even though I used to tell her that if she would house train herself then she was welcome to sleep indoors.
I miss the times when she would fly away for the day and then be home at night to have her bath. She was extremely clean and would bathe up to three or more times a day and spend hours preening herself. The way she would come running when the dogs were playing, flapping her wings and shouting to them. I think she had the impression that they were fighting. Funny that even up until the time that she left, she never seemed to understand that they were not being aggressive towards each other and uit was just their way of playing.
I miss our trips to the stream, the way she would swim, diving under water in her excitement, and the way she would swim around my legs if they were in the water. I even miss the times she would not let me catch her and when I would give up, the way she would look at me as if to say, “Now what have I done.” I think she used to tease me.
I think I miss our chats the most. I would come home and ask her how her day was and she would always reply with “I dunnro.” Its funny how we seemed to understand each other even though she could not say anything in any language other than “goose,” I always seemed to understand what she meant and she seemed to know what I was saying.
She had only been with us for four months, and in that time she went from a baby gosling to a beautiful, aerodynamically, fine-tuned, goose. They were four very intense, very rewarding and very loving months. Even Shorty, who is a howler, misses her. When she was with us he only howled occasionally. Now that she has gone he howls twice as often and for longer. I think he hopes that she will hear him and come back home.
Lulu, wherever you are, may your wings be strong, may you stay away from strangers and dogs and may we meet again one day. May your winter be warm and may you return in the spring. We love and miss you.
