Penticton resident Kyle Sunderman on Okanagan Lake with Kevin the Goose.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Kyle Sunderman
March 09, 2023 - 7:30 AM
A Canada goose known by Penticton locals as Kevin the Goose has made it through another winter.
The bird was attacked by a dog roughly four years ago, leaving him with a broken wing, unable to fly. The goose has since spent winters on the Okanagan Lake waterfront, drawing a crowd of fans.
“I look out for him and take pictures,” said Penticton resident Kyle Sunderman. “It is therapy in a sense, people have their own struggles and it is music to just watch him go about his business despite his challenges.”
While Sunderman said he is not “the steward of Kevin” and there are numerous others who watch over him, he does take his clients with diverse abilities to visit the bird on a regular basis.
He took a client to see Kevin the Goose earlier this week.
“People want to know how he’s doing now that winter is almost over,” Sunderman said. “He is in great shape. He came out of the water and as we walked away he was squawking and talking.”
Kevin the Goose on Okanagan Lake in Penticton.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Kyle Sunderman
The bird wanders the stretch of beach between The Peach and the SS Sicamous paddlewheeler. Sunderman doesn’t feed Kevin — he doesn’t think it’s good for him — but many locals do. When it gets really cold the bird finds hiding spots out of the wind.
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The bird doesn’t have a flock, he is a loner, but before winter he was seen with another goose for a short period of time.
“People said he had a girlfriend but it didn’t work out, it's quite comical,” Sunderman said.
Last year Sunderman’s friend and artist painted a picture of Kevin the Goose that went into a local gallery. He said he’s had people from B.C. and Alberta reach out with questions about the bird over the years.
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Sunderman is considering putting a collage of photos together or making a print of Kevin to sell for donations to local charities.
“It is a story that sheds light on the struggles we all have and how the bird has been able to persevere with a broken wing,” he said. “He’s become a postage stamp for Penticton.”
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