Niagara-on-the-Lake residents are grieving the loss of Mac, a beloved goose known for his protective nature and loud presence, said resident Jim Reynolds.
Mac, affectionately named by Sarah Burroughs, was known to those who frequent Niagara-on-the-Lake’s dock area — where he lived for 18 years at the mouth of the Niagara River.
Eighteen years ago, Coun. Gary Burroughs and his wife, Sarah, formed a bond with Mac when they rescued him after he got stuck in the ice.
From that moment on, the couple followed his journey closely and watched as he built a family and took on the role of leader among the geese, said Burroughs.
“Not only the leader of the pack,” he said. “But he also knew everybody in the dock area and would come over and greet people.”
For nearly two decades, Mac’s family of five white geese was a fixture at the dock.
Among those grieving is Dory Karr, a friend of Sarah Burroughs, who documented the life of Mac and his family on her Facebook page in posts titled “Gooselandia.”
“It was just for fun,” Karr said about her posts. They were created for a small group of friends and featured Mac, the other geese, sunrises and daily observations.
Karr said she was incredibly sad to learn of Mac’s passing.
“[Geese] are just amazing creatures. They are sentient beings, no doubt about it. They understand things and they love their mates and their families,” Karr said.
The harsh conditions geese face in the wintertime — like limited food and cold temperatures — likely contributed to his death, she said.
But even throughout the tough winters he endured, Mac always protected his family, Karr said.
Through it all, Mac remained the leader and ensured his group stayed safe, said Burroughs.
Burroughs and Sarah were devastated and raced to the dock when they received a text with a photograph of the goose frozen in the ice with his head beneath the water.
But the way Mac’s story came full circle — first rescued from the ice and in the end, carried away by it — felt almost fitting to Burroughs.
Reynolds sadly found Mac the morning of Feb. 8.
“Last time I saw him, he seemed to be in relatively good shape,” he said. “It was kind of a shock.”
Reynolds said he likes to remember the days when Mac would gather his flock and protect them fiercely.
“If a dog was within a hundred meters of them, Mac would start shouting ‘dog’ at the top of his lungs — even if the dog was on a leash,” he said. “Just so that everybody knew that there was a dog in the area.”
Dock-area resident Ron Simkus’ got to know the geese after his neighbour who fed them moved away. The geese began going to his house for food and treats.
As a result, he got to know Mac — as the grumpy yet lovable protector who was always ready to defend the youngins’ if anyone got too close, he said.
“Quite often, you’d see him chasing away the Canada geese that were getting a little bit amorous or attracted to the others,” he said.
Residents and tourists grew fond of Mac and his family because they became a symbol of the community, said Burroughs. Many people returned to the waterfront specifically to check on the geese.
“People that have been coming to Niagara that no longer live here, say, that live in St. Catharines, they would come down two or three times a week just to see them and see if they were okay. It became a community,” he said.
The cause of Mac’s death is unclear, though geese can sometimes become lethargic and get frozen into the ice, which prevents escape, said Simkus.
The possibility of bird flu has added stress to the situation as well, since it could pose a threat to other geese and to humans too.
The body was not recovered for testing to see if it could have been bird flu.
Losing Mac has left residents closely watching over and cherishing the remaining survivors — the brave pair of the white goose and grey goose, said Reynolds.
These two had been missing for a few days, which had the community in an anxious search, but in happier news — they were found today, he said.
The geese also endured hardship in 2018, when a young hunter killed three of them.
Mac’s death is “a big deal down here,” said Simkus. “These birds have been an icon here for so long.”
Though the two remaining female geese have strong personalities, Karr said they’ll face a tough challenge replacing Mac’s leadership.
