A Canada goose has been looking for his mate at a shopping centre in Toronto, Canada, for several weeks, unaware she has passed away. The widowed goose has been searching for her and his sad vigil has caught the attention of shoppers.
Staff at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario shop in the plaza said that the goose’s mate was struck by a car and killed. Since then, the male goose has returned to look for her every day.
“It’s very sad. You can tell he misses his wife and he’s wandering around looking. Wondering,” shopper Colin Tobias told Global TV News.
“It goes to show how deep their emotions can be and how deeply close and attached to each other they can be and I think that’s something people overlook,” said Leah Birmingham, medical director at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre.
She said that it’s a difficult time of year for the windowed goose to join a flock because of mating season. However, the best thing to do presently is to leave the bird alone and he will eventually sort himself out and leave.
Tobias is touched by the goose’s reminder that the birds mate for life. “You need to find a soulmate and I think you know humans take a look at wildlife and they look at some of the animals that mate for life and it puts stuff into context for us.”
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