Photograph: The little Egyptian Geese that wouldn’t fly

In the morning I saw Claude, my Swiss host, walking up and down the lawn making squeaking noises. Following her were three little chicks. They were Egyptian geese.

The trio looked their age — three months.

Their only problem was that they didn’t act their age. They weren’t yet showing any sign of being able to fly.

“They should be flying after ten weeks,” said Claude who was their adopted mother.

Being only human she could not always display the three golden rules of parenting to her geese — acting by example, acting by example and acting by example.

“I certainly cannot show them how to fly.”

She took five chicks in after a farmer near Nieu-Bethesda found them abandoned.

Two of the goslings had died, leaving only three, named Leonie, Chloe and Zoe.

“I’ve learned so much raising these little geese. I’ve had to get to know their routines.”

Claude started them off on a diet of pap [porridge] followed by cooked chicken.

“We rather hope they’ll fly away before too long,” said Daniel.

“Egyptian geese are monogamous (they have only one mate) and one day they won’t like us that much if we come too close to their mates.”

The couple had earmarked a dam on a property next door to them as a potential future home for their feathered “children”.

Meanwhile they hoped that instinct would kick in and their little Egyptian geese will become airborne by their own efforts.

COMMENT: Do you think animals reared by humans have much chance to survive in the wild?