A local goose couple is facing some online criticism after laying their egg out in the open and with no nest closeby.
The Easter weekend miracle was captured in a National Geographic-esque video taken at Stanley Park and was then shared on social media. Hundreds took to the Reddit comment section to point out how risky it was for the geese to choose such a public spot.
“That is a really weird place for a goose to lay an egg. Usually, they will choose a location that is hard to reach from land, or at least a little bit hidden,” wrote thujaplicata101.
We witnessed an Easter weekend miracle at Stanley Park today from r/vancouver
Another Reddit user speculated this could be the couple’s first time experiencing the joys of egg-birth.
“They are probably young or first-time parents. They will likely lose the egg but also learn for next time,” symbifox writes.
Another Reddit user zophan pointed out the Vancouver Parks Board initiative to reduce the population of Canadian Geese as another risk.
“Especially considering Vancouver park board recently asked people to report geese nests to be destroyed so as to keep their populations in check.”
The visceral nature of the video led to other Redditors showing their support for the expecting geese parents, especially the mother.
“Damn birth looks hard. If every human woman had my brain, our species would have died at the start. Mad props to all the moms out there. Y'all the real MVPs,” writes JayString.
The conversation also led to mothers sharing their stories of childbirth, relating their experiences to the 48-second video.
If you’re a goose and you would like to learn more about how the Vancouver Parks Board is looking to reduce the number of goslings born each year you can check out their website.
If any readers have contact information for the geese featured in the video, feel free to send us a news tip.