Caught on Camera: Two Geese Share Last Kiss

This viral photo of two geese saying goodbye has reached millions of people on the Chinese social media site Weibo, and this is why their story making people cry: the two geese had spent their entire lives together and were devoted to each other. Pairs of geese mate for life, and these two were clearly soulmates. But they were separated when the female goose was given away as a gift to a family friend to be killed and eaten.

ICYMI: The moment these geese said goodbye will break your heart: https://t.co/QQj1GZPJjJ ? #RIP pic.twitter.com/RrBEwFaLms

— PETA Asia (@PETAAsia) September 4, 2016

When the female goose was tied into a bag and put on the back of a motorcycle, her soulmate tried desperately to free her. He honked and cried out for her, but he could only watch helplessly and cry out as she was driven off into the distance. It was clear to all that he was heartbroken.

When a goose’s mate is killed, he or she will mourn in seclusion. After a partner dies, some geese spend the rest of their lives as widows or widowers, refusing to mate again.

Sadly, the male goose was killed for food a few days later.

The man who took the goose claimed that the two birds had grown up together and had never before been separated until that moment captured on camera.

Geese are extremely loyal. They not only mate for life but also are fiercely protective of their partners and offspring. Around the world, geese are killed for food such as foie gras, and their feathers are cruelly obtained for clothing and comforters. In China, nearly 300 million geese are killed for food every year. Farms in China still tear out feathers from live geese to make pillows, cushions, jackets, coats, and bedding.