'We haven't seen anything like that before': Vancouver Island goose tries to hatch eggs on iPhone
Despite struggling to hatch from her egg, and requiring hand-feeding to stay alive, the runt of this gaggle of geese is thriving in a remarkable way.
"She’s been an interesting one this year," Sava Bell smiles, while the goose he named Tiny stands beside him.
The 16-year-old says Tiny is unlike any gosling he's raised before.
"She’s the friendliest of all the geese," Sava says, before showing me how the bird likes to sit on his lap.
Sava couldn’t help but wonder if Tiny's personality might help him win big at the local agricultural fair.
His last gaggle of Sebastopol geese was named "reserve champion," which Sava says is "a fancy name for second place."
While the road to this year’s poultry podium may include daily jogs along the driveway with Sava’s dad, followed by countless cuddles on the lawn, there is one thing they can’t practise for: Tiny’s appearance.
You see, the sort of Sebastopol geese that win first-place ribbons are pure white with a chest full of curly feathers. Tiny is a bit grey in the back, a bit flat up front.
“Oh well,” Sava says. “I care more about the personality of the goose.”
Tiny’s personality revealed itself in an unexpected way when Sava and his dad were lounging on the lawn the other day with their smartphones laying beside them. The geese started nibbling on the phones.
"And then Tiny came up to the phone and started nuzzling her chest on [the phone] like a mother goose would," Sava smiles.
And then Tiny sat down on top of it, before gathering grass and twigs to build a nest around it.
"We haven’t seen anything like that before," Sava says.
Sava says geese don’t usually demonstrate maternal instincts until they're at least a year old. Tiny's only a few months old.
"We were shocked," Sava laughs.
They were so surprised they didn’t think to capture it on camera until the next day.
That’s when they put a picture of eggs on the phone’s screen and recorded Tiny plopping down on top of it, seemingly trying to hatch them. They posted the video on their TikTok account.
"She's such a caring little friendly goose," Sava smiles. "So it would make sense that she would want to care for eggs, whether they be real or virtual."
It would also make sense that — no matter how she ends up being judged on her looks — Tiny is already being considered a winner for her caring actions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.