EDMONTON -- A pair of feathered friends has been making its presence known in downtown Edmonton this week.

Two Canada geese seem to have taken a liking to the corner of Jasper Ave. and 102 Street.

“It’s different,” said Cst. Troy Forester of the Edmonton Police Service, whose beat takes him to the area regularly.

“Probably has to do with the COVID,” he said. “They made a home here when there was nobody on the streets and the wildlife kind of took over and now they’re established.”

But Forester’s theory seems to be one of many.

“I think over the years they realized that nobody would harm them,” said Mat McIntyre, whose been working in the area as a courier for over 10 years. “You know, if you walk by nobody will scare them, you know, and they get used to that.” 

“My office overlooks the top of Manulife and there were a couple of geese there that had babies there last spring, so it might be the same ones,” said Carol Chovanec.

“Maybe they’re just used to people and not scared of them,” said Duncan Lee before walking past the geese. 

The couple has been making the rounds on social media, creating all kinds of comedic opportunity.

 

 

One reddit-poster writing: “Those geese quite literally had to fight off the gang that usually runs that area.”

Another commented: “I for one welcome our new goose overlords.”

Regardless of where they came from, how long they’re staying and where they’ll go next, for now, no-one seems to mind that they’re there.

“It’s a bit of a morale boost for the troubling times that we’re in right now,” said Cst. Forester.