Mario was a male

Toulouse goose The Toulouse is a French breed of large domestic goose, originally from the area of Toulouse in south-western France. Two types are recognised: a heavy industrial type with dewlaps, the french: Oie de Toulouse à bavette, italic=no; and a slightly ...

(''Anser anser''), formerly living in

Echo Park, Los Angeles Echo Park is a neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California. Located to the northwest of Downtown, it is bordered by Silver Lake to the west and Chinatown to the east. The culturally diverse neighborhood has become known ...

who became the subject of news reports in 2011 after forming an unusual association with a local resident, Dominic Ehrler. Mario, who was originally named Maria by locals and assumed to be female, was familiar to users of the park for several years as a goose which preferred the company of humans to that of his own species, often pecking at

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

people or following walkers and runners around. Ehrler, a retired salesman, first encountered Maria/Mario at

Echo Park Lake The Echo Park Lake is a lake and urban park in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally built in the 1860s as a reservoir for drinking water, today Echo Park Lake is a Los Angeles icon that functions primarily as a dete ...

in the summer of 2010 when the bird began to follow him on his daily walks around the lake, readily accepting food from him and soon becoming so attached that he would wait beside the road every morning for Ehrler to arrive at the park. Maria/Mario would walk alongside and possessively 'protect' Ehrler from other park users and their dogs and would also attempt to follow him from the park, flying closely behind him as he rode away on his scooter, necessitating attempts to distract the goose, or lock him behind a fence when leaving, to avoid being followed all the way home. Maria/Mario, along with the other geese present at Echo Park were temporarily relocated to

Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California. The city of Los Angeles owns the entire zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. Animal care, grounds maintenance, construction, ed ...

in April 2011 and placed into

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

, as the park underwent restoration and the lake was drained. It was at this time that veterinarians at the zoo discovered that Maria was in fact a male goose (a gander). He was then renamed Mario. Zoo officials stated their plans to house Mario at a children's zoo, though it was also suggested that the Echo Park geese would be relocated to another lake. Ehrler continued to visit Mario at the zoo and stated his intention to maintain the friendship and follow the gander to his new home, also raising the possibility of moving to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

with him. Later, plans were put forward to have Mario live at the zoo after the Echo Park lake refurbishing was completed, as it was a safer place for him to live. Mario also appeared in the 2010

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for the song "

End Love "End Love" is a song by alternative rock band OK Go from the album ''Of the Blue Colour of the Sky''. The song's lyrics deal with the sorrowful period of time after the end of a relationship. The video for the song features the band performing ove ...

" by the rock band

OK Go OK Go is an American rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar and vocals), Dan Konopka (drums and percussion), and ...

, which has received over 15 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

, the band having allowed Mario to appear prominently in the video after he bit guitarist

Andy Ross Andrew Ross is an American musician. He has been the guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist for the rock band OK Go since 2005. He is also behind a solo project, Secret Dakota Ring, which released albums in 2004 and 2008. Ross is also co-founder of ...

during filming at the park. Mario died on Friday, June 29, 2018, at his home at the LA Zoo. He died in his sleep from old age. The zoo released a statement saying, "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, the podcast '' This is Love'' released an episode about city birds, including Maria/Mario's story, as told by Dominic Ehrler.

References

External links

*{{YouTube, id=V2fpgpanZAw, title=OK Go - End Love - Official Video, featuring Maria 2018 animal deaths Individual waterfowl Geese Birds and humans People from Echo Park, Los Angeles Individual birds in the United States

See also

References

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