Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/goose-visits-family-20-years/

Back in 2000, a baby gosling was abandoned by his parents. The little gosling was found by a family named the Whelans, who took him in and cared for him.

The family had initially tried to get him back to his original family, however, the little gosling had imprinted on them. They happily raised him for a whole year until he grew and matured enough to survive on his own.

Eventually, the goose, who had come to be called Peeper, flew off into his new life.

Amazingly, 20 years later, Peeper returned in order to visit his family. At first, the Whelans assumed that the goose that showed up at their home was just a random bird. However, after two weeks of the goose persistently returning to their home, they realized exactly who it was.

As the family’s son shared with Reader’s Digest, “He did all of the same things Peeper used to, like trying to come in through the front door and sleeping in our enclosed pool area.”

The son then added that besides being a copycat of Peeper’s habits, the goose will also react to the name Peeper. He stated, “Much to my amazement, my old best friend had returned, 20 years later.”

Whelan added that there are many different explanations for why the bird might have returned after all this time. He said that it could be that his mate passed away and he was feeling lonely. Or another explanation could be that he’s reaching old age and wanted to return home.

Whelan concluded with the hope that one day his own kids will be able to connect with nature and a wild animal in a similar fashion.

He believes that people can learn so much from the natural world, citing his own experiences and how much he learned about himself by being able to experience life with Peeper.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog