Stop frowning at cows. And don’t give bread to geese in Saskatchewan either
That’s right. You may be tempted to give those cute little baby geese the boring part of your sandwich.
Do that and you could be transforming them into potential X-Men.
Ok, we know that evolutionary biology doesn’t exactly work that way.
But naturalists at Wascana Centre Authority in Regina have noticed something is happening to goslings that are getting a diet of bread.
Feeding them bread deprives them of certain vital nutrients that can lead to a growth deformity called angel wing.
The park’s naturalist Matthew Tokaruk said every summer, a couple of cases are seen where the bird’s wing will twist as the gosling gets bigger and that twist in their wings leaves them earth-bound, unable to fly.
It would be the same as with a young child, feeding them only candy for their first few years of their life. It probably wouldn’t be that good. Bread, to the birds, is candy.”
Like humans, young geese need foods that will help them grow. That includes leafy greens such as parsley and spinach or grains such as barley and wheat.