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Crime & Safety

Police Get Goosed in Shrewsbury

Protective geese defending their nest go on the attack.

Shrewsbury police were involved a wild goose chase in front of the Edward Jones office in Kenrick Plaza today, but it was the goose that was doing the chasing. Several people, one of them a police officer, were attacked as they walked from their cars to the financial planner office by a goose trying to defend her nest.

A Shrewsbury police officer  was one who was attacked and another officer told KTVI news: "The one goose was flying his way and going at him with his bill."

The Canadian geese and their eggs are federally protected. Despite the police presence the geese were left happily on their nest, and the humans were asked to avoid the spot.

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A Patch reporter who was on the scene saw three police cars with officers warning people not to go into the Edward Jones office. One man who stepped up onto the sidewalk was attacked, and a witness said he heard cries of “What the heck!”

The whole thing caused such a ruckus that someone called KTVI Channel Two and reporter Chris Regnier arrived to do a story. He stood at a safe distance so as not to ruffle the feathers of the protective birds. Later a camera person from KSDK Channel Five arrived and joked about not being able to find someone to taunt the geese for a better picture.

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The geese just posed for the camera and did not attack anyone while the red light was on. The parking lot was a stand-off between the geese and patrons of Edward Jones and the Da Vita Dialysis Center from noon for the rest of the afternoon.

Correction: An earlier version of this story mistakenly represented the events as having been witnessed by Rob Rains, the reporter's husband. This was the editor's error. Sally Rains was on the scene and witnessed the events herself.

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