BUFFALO, N.Y. — A deer has been standing watch for several days over a female goose nesting in a city cemetery, a scene normally reserved for a children’s movie. “People always want to turn it into a Disney story and in this case it’s not far off,” said Gina Browning, director of the Erie County SPCA. For at least four days, the buck stood guard near the nest of a Canada goose as she sits on her eggs inside a large urn at Forest Lawn cemetery, home to the remains of President Millard Fillmore and rock icon Rick James. “He does appear to be guarding the goose, as it were,” Erie County SPCA Wildlife Administrator Joel Thomas said. “He’s within touching distance of her — there’s no doubt what’s going on.” The deer, which he said looks like a buck that has shed its antlers, has not strayed from his post. Employees at the cemetery were alerted to the situation after the animal positioned itself between the bird and an employee of a company that traps and relocates geese, which Thomas said have become a messy problem in large numbers.

“When he approached the bird with a net, the deer puts itself between him and the bird, and he’s repeated that behavior for some time,” he said.