Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Family ties are fragile the first 3 to 4 weeks of a gosling's life, and a brood unit could be easily broken up. Vehicles on dikes caught broods unaware, caused them to panic, and they dispersed in all directions. Parents usually headed for the pool, but some goslings were lost in dense vegetation. Parent Canada geese (Branta canadensis) usually swam off with whatever portion of the brood they had left. Occasionally the gander waited for a straggler if he heard it calling. Because of its disruptive nature, driving the refuge dikes was held to a minimum.