Most people, when they think of Tukwila’s Southcenter mall, do NOT think of wildlife (okay, maybe when they walk into certain stores but that’s another story…).
But now, amidst the hustle and bustle of shoppers and cars coming and going, a pair of Canadian Geese have found a home in the middle of a parking lot of the Westfield Southcenter Mall.
There on the concrete the male goose sits, taking in a view of a department store and refusing to budge. Not an ounce of this goose is loose.
A closer look reveals he’s got something to protect. No one can get too close, though. The goose gets testy; he refuses to be goosed.
So what exactly is he protecting?
“I think it’s protecting its area, and a parking lot is a pretty big area to protect its area, so I think it’s just wandering around, squawking at people,” said Alex Paulsen.
Not so. The reason the goose is putting his neck on the line? He’s standing guard for the mama goose and her eggs. There’s no telling exactly how many eggs because no one can get past the goose.
“I don’t want to get too close to see what happens!” said Jon Carpenter.
Their nest is perched behind a retaining wall just above the parking lot. It’s not the safest place for a home, but the geese are protected by federal law.
“We were told once they nest you basically have to let them be, and let nature take its course,” said Andrew Charrocchi, the general manager of the mall. “So our stance as a shopping center is to make sure everyone’s safe, and the geese and the goslings when they do hatch are safe as well.”
Mall officials are used to the drill. Some geese reportedly hatched eggs at the parking lot last year as well. Observers say once the goslings hatched, they followed mama across the street to a pond.
“It was their land before Southcenter came here,” said Caroline Kane.
And while the papa goose works hard to keep nosy neighbors away from his family, many can’t help but come admire the bird’s dedication.
“It’s pretty interesting. I didn’t expect to see goose in the middle of the parking lot in the mall,” said Carpenter.
“We were out here a couple of weeks ago and he was out here doing his thing, and we forgot to bring bread for him,” Kane said, laughing.
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