By Doug Draper
Every time I’ve written a column that speaks to being kind to animals, I’ve always been able to count on at least a few of you saying; ‘What are you getting so soppy about? They are only animals.”
A deer, among the tombstones, looks over the nest of a mother goose in a Buffalo cemetery. Photo by Doug Draper
I can almost understand from a rigid Christian point of view – read the first passages in the Book of Genesis in The Bible where it is basically spelled out that humans will dominate the earth and the rest of life is road kill –why every time someone like me comes along and argues for more compassion for the lives and survival of other creatures on this earth, there are those out there who say I am being a bleeding heart, and let’s just go on exploiting and hunting them.
This April 10, I drove through Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, N.Y. for reasons that had more to do with the great history of this place, and there was one of the deer now living in the 270-acre expanse of this cemetary (you may remember that Niagara At Large featured a photo, along with a short commentary, of a deer in that Buffalo cemetery earlier this past winter) that had assumed the role of guardian over a goose nesting her eggs in an urn in the cemetery.
This deer is by most accounts is a male and has become this goose’s partner in protecting her next, and it is awesome to see. It is a wonder of nature and it should also be a wonder to all those out there who think that these creatures are just some other “meat” on this planet for exploitation and hunting.
In a world in which humans keep killing each other in places like Libya, the Ivory Coast and elsewhere, just to win a few basic rights, this beautiful bond between a goose and deer in a park might tell us that maybe the other creatures on this earth know more about these humans do about getting along.
Joseph Dispenza, president of Forest Lawn Cemtery said this in an interview this April 10 with Channel 2 News in Buffalo; “It has become something wonderful, serene and beautiful (and) enjoy the magic of what is happening there …
“These two creatures,” he continued, “don’t know that they are supposed to be looking out for each other. And to me that is the lesson here. Let’s just look out for each other.”
Amen.
Visit the following Buffalo Channel 2 site for a video on this – http://northbuffalo.wgrz.com/news/environment/bambi-protects-mother-goose/54141
From the Forest Lawn website – Posted on April 10th, 2011
Forest Lawn is looking for volunteers to help keep spectators behind the snow fence for the added protection of our mother-to-be goose and the deer watching over her. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Lisa Testa, volunteer coordinator at Forest Lawn, at 885.1600 or ltesta@forest-lawn.com. Thank you!
(Visit Niagara At Large at www.niagaraatlarge.com for more news and commentary on matters of interest and concern to our greater Niagara region and beyond.)
Niagara At Large 
In a world fraught by war, poverty, atrocities, natural catastrophes, and general anxiety, this beautiful essay lifts my spirit.
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I agree Doug. I just wish you hadn’t mentioned which cemetary this is. I saw this on the news and they didn’t mention the cemetary, in hopes that someone wouldn’t come along and disturb them, let alone do something worse to them. Those are the people who ask you why you get so soppy over ‘just an animal’.
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Never fear!
Don’t ever try tangling with a goose – the Scots use them to guard whiskey.
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There’s so much we DON’T know…
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In response to the above commentator, the jig is up on the name of the cemetery site. This story made the Today Show a few days back and the cemetery site – Buffalo’s old Forest Lawn – is in the news as a result.
As someone who was at the site this Saturday, April 9, there was no doubt that the managers of Forest Lawn were already doing a fine job of keeping people back from the nesting area and, as mentioned at the bottom of Niagara At Large’s news site, are calling on volunteers from the community to help them do that. And knowing the people of Buffalo ,as I think I do, more than a few volunteers will step forward to make sure this deer and goose and her eggs come to a happy conclusion.
Doug Draper, Niagara At Large.
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I read the first post about deer finding a way into the cemetery. I missed the part about the goose and her eggs. It is always fascinating to me to see videos of animals taking care of another species , like a mother cat taking care of baby piglets, an orangutan latching on to a dog, and they are inseparable. I saw a fawn coming into a back yard and playing with a kitten.They too became inseparable…. a bird curled up on a cat’s back. These are so precious…..yes we can learn a lot about compassion, and love, and connection to people who do not look like us, or speak like us – but there is understanding and willingness to help our fellow human beings. Let’s hope for the best for these two species who have bonded.
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next time someone says “they’re only animals” …one could remind them, that they too, are only animals …if they argue the point too much, tell them they have 3 choices …animal, vegetable or mineral.
As for the Christians telling everybody about the bible, what it says and what it means … they should first learn the ancient aramaic language, understand the social context of those times and the writings, and then come and talk to me about what it all means…..And no Doug you are not soppy, you are just someone that cares…the world needs more like you.
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Thank you for sharing this story Doug.
We have much to learn from it.
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When I lived in Buffalo near Forest Lawn, I often visited there to take pictures and just to enjoy the astonishing beauty and peacefulness of a place where some of my ancestors and many prominent people of Buffalo are buried. There is a feeling of holiness and comfort in Forest Lawn that is palpable. Fall is the most beautiful time of the year there, in my opinion. It does seem fitting that a story of such love and tenderness about two very different creatures came from Forest Lawn. Please respect the specialness of this event by enjoying it vicariously through the media.
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