Widowed Goose Refuses To Leave Shopping Mall Where He Last Saw His Mate

“He misses his wife.”

The CF Shops at Don Mills in Toronto, Canada, are where many people go for a day of shopping. Recently, they’ve also become a place of mourning for one lonely goose whose partner will never return.

The female goose was recently hit by a car nearby and, ever since, her mate has returned to wait atop the shops' rooftop every day, hoping to see his love again. These ongoing sightings have broken shoppers' hearts for weeks.

“He looks very sad,” shopper Colin Tobias told Global News. “And you can tell he misses his wife. He’s wandering around wondering, looking.”

Photo by Maithili Bhoop

The widower has been spotted on various rooftops around the shopping center, including by nearby staffers at LCBO, a wine and spirits store, who noticed the goose’s somber mood.

“He lost his own partner and for that he is depressed and sad,” Sayad Rasulnezhad, a LCBO employee, told Global News. “I cried, actually.”

This heartbroken goose occasionally takes breaks to wander for food. At times, disappearing for a couple of hours only to return, and wait, again.

Wildlife experts say geese typically mate for life, making this sighting even more tragic. Shoppers and staff are hoping that after the goose finishes this period of mourning, he’ll find someone else in the area to love.

“I think he should be looking for a mate, and we should be helping him,” Tobias said.

With a little more patience and hope, the goose will soon find a new partner and return to the wild.