Maria (goose) facts for kids

Mario was a famous male Toulouse Goose who lived in Echo Park, Los Angeles. He became well-known in 2011 because of his special friendship with a local person named Dominic Ehrler.

Mario, who was first thought to be a female and called Maria by people in the park, was known for many years. He preferred to spend time with humans instead of other geese. He would sometimes gently peck at people or follow walkers and runners around the park.

A Special Friendship Begins

Dominic Ehrler, a retired salesman, first met Maria/Mario at Echo Park lake in the summer of 2010. The goose started to follow him on his daily walks around the lake. Maria/Mario quickly accepted food from Dominic and became very attached.

Soon, the goose would wait by the road every morning for Dominic to arrive at the park. Maria/Mario would walk next to Dominic and act like a bodyguard, 'protecting' him from other park visitors and their dogs. The goose even tried to follow Dominic home! Maria/Mario would fly close behind him as Dominic rode his scooter. Dominic sometimes had to distract the goose or lock him behind a fence to avoid being followed all the way home.

A Trip to the Zoo and a Big Discovery

In April 2011, Mario and the other geese from Echo Park had to move. They were taken to the Los Angeles Zoo and kept in quarantine. This happened because Echo Park was being fixed up, and the lake was drained.

While at the zoo, veterinarians made an interesting discovery: Maria was actually a male goose! So, his name was changed to Mario. Zoo officials planned for Mario to live at a children's zoo. There was also talk of moving the other Echo Park geese to a different lake. Dominic Ehrler kept visiting Mario at the zoo. He said he wanted to stay friends with Mario and follow him to his new home. He even thought about moving to Oregon with Mario! Later, it was decided that Mario would live permanently at the zoo after the Echo Park lake was finished. This was a safer place for him to live.

Mario the Music Video Star

Mario also became a star! He appeared in a music video in 2010 for the song "End Love" by the rock band OK Go. This video has been watched over 15 million times on YouTube. The band let Mario be a big part of the video after he playfully bit guitarist Andy Ross during filming at the park.

Remembering Mario

Mario passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, June 29, 2018, at his home at the LA Zoo. He died of old age. The zoo shared a message saying how sad they were. They said, "The Los Angeles Zoo is sad to announce the passing of the celebrity, domestic Toulouse goose, Mario. The nine-year-old goose resided at the Winnick Family Children's Zoo for the last seven years until his passing on Friday, June 29 due to old age. Mario was an animal that brought joy to many Angelenos, and he will be missed."

In 2020, a podcast called This is Love shared Mario's story. Dominic Ehrler himself told the tale of his special friendship with the goose in an episode about city birds.