Are you terrified of the campus geese? You aren’t alone. The infamous geese of Western have their own Facebook page, the sassy Miss Western Goose has her own twitter, and it is pretty clear that the geese live to torment us.
In light of stumbling across this Facebook post from one of the geese, I decided to ask Western students about their best interaction with the geese. This is what happened:
Marisa Cho: “One time I was walking by the parking lot across from the University Hospital. These two geese had decided to lay an egg in one of the flower planter overhangs on the third floor. So, here I am walking underneath it and being honked at by flapping wings. And then, just as I manage to pass by the building without being attacked, I hear a plop on the sidewalk behind me. Goddamn goose tried to poop on me. Rude.”
Livie Lin: “In second year, I was once chased/squawked away from the entrance of Talbot College… was late to class.”
Kellie Anderson: “I once overheard a goose whisper “Is That Kellie Anderson?” as I walked by.”
Alex Heintz: “I was riding my bike up UC hill (which I don’t recommend) and a goose was apparently offended by my bike because it came flapping at me and I feared for my life. I kept pedalling and somehow overcame.”
Kenyon Born: “I was trapped in a stairwell at Middlesex for 40 minutes in first year because the geese attacked me every time I tried to leave until some nice guy came along and taunted them while I made a run for it. #MyHero”
Ariel Vaisbort: “My encounter was also the most accurate representation of the LTC I’ve ever seen: a goose in the street. The bus pulls away from the stop and into the lane the goose is in. The bus does not slow down but just honks and keeps going. The goose flaps its dumb wings and runs away.”
Tomachi Onyewuchi: “Any time they stand around and look at me without moving is a bad time for me.”
Personally, my best encounter was the other day when I came across an aggressive honking goose on the sidewalk on my way to class. I kept walking and made eye contact with the goose. The goose became silent, stared back at me, and watched as I approached. When I was merely feet away the goose suddenly began walking away very quickly. I stared into the face of danger, and triumphed.
Surprisingly, I somehow managed to find someone who advocates for the geese. “I used to feed the ones outside Elgin in first year… they’d eat bread and birdseed and stuff off the palm of my hand. They’re actually really sweet,” May Walpole explained. She may be the bravest woman on campus. I seriously commend her, but don’t think I’ll be feeding the geese any time soon!