By Damien Gayle
PUBLISHED: 21:12, 30 March 2012 | UPDATED: 22:03, 30 March 2012
When an unsuspecting office worker crossed the path of a fearless Canada goose, the makers of this video just sat back... and watched the feathers fly.
Shot in Mississauga, in the south-western Canadian province of Ontario, the YouTube clip shows the lengths which the birds will go to protect their partners and young.
And it also shows the bumbling rage which can be unleashed by a regular guy who just wants a nice quiet lunch break.0
Unsuspecting: This man wanders down the path in the park, unaware that he will soon be locked in a duel with a fierce feathered fighter, bottom
You think you're big, huh? The fearless bird squares up to the man, who has stopped to inspect this bag left on the floor
As the video begins, a bald, middle-aged man dressed for a day at the office strolls down a pathway in a park, a bag over his shoulder and newspaper in hand.
All appears to be normal, until he spots a bag which someone has left on the ground - which may have been placed there by the pranksters who shot the film.
Unknown to him, the bag is just feet away from a goose's nest.
As he wanders closer, a male Canada goose comes from the opposite direction and squares up to confront him.
If it was taller, one imagines it would be right in the man's face, saying 'What! What!'.
Wanna dance? The man aims a swipe at the bird with his newspaper
Fearless: But it responds by fearlessly launching an attack at his face
The office man, obviously perturbed by the bird's approach and curious about the bag, attempts to swat the goose away with his newspaper.
Deftly dodging the paper's arc, the furious fowl takes flight and swirls around the man's head, forcing him to stumble backwards off the path as he tries to protect his face.
Incensed by the bird's blitz, the office worker gathers himself and gears up for his own counter-attack.
His paper held ready in an escrima-type pose, he waits for the now landed goose to come back into range before swinging it like a sword at his opponent.
The bold bird is now the one on the backfoot. Desperately dodging the paper's swipes it is beaten back off the other side of the path before once again taking to the air in a fierce lunge at the man's face.
Counter-attack: The man gears up to get his revenge on the bold bird, whose partner can now be seen in the left of the shot
Take that! Stepping forward, he lunges at the goose
You still want some, sucker? The bird beats a hasty retreat but ...
... it's only playing a rope-a-dope tactic and again swoops back at the man's face!
AAARRGHH! The man swings back, refusing to let any bird get the better of him
In a momentary lull in the action, the man takes his chance to swipe the bag, hoping that he has taught the feathered fiend a lesson.
But in so doing he again wanders dangerously close to the nest.
Running several steps to gather speed, the goose charges, taking to the air as it does so to once again target the man's vulnerable face.
He lashes his newspaper about his head, attempting to wallop the fearsome feathered fighter out of the air - but to no avail, it's too nimble for him.
I showed that fool: Satisfied he has taught the goose a lesson, the man turns back to the bag, again straying close to the nest
Get away from my nest! The bird swings back into action, as his missus sits protectively over her eggs
Wings of fury: The goose flaps above the man's head as he flails wildly with his newspaper
The bird retreats once again, as a woman approaches to take the bag from the man - she may be in on the prank - but it only appears to be an attempt to lull its enemy into a false sense of security.
As soon as his back is turned and he starts to walk away, the goose charges once again across the park to confront the man.
But this normal office worker's senses have been heightened by combat and it seems he hears the bird's furious approach, its feet slap-slapping across the paving stones.
As it nears he tries to dish out a final ferocious kick. The bird evades easily and, apparently satisfied it has scared the enemy away, proudly stands its ground.
The video has become a sensation on YouTube. Uploaded just four days ago, it has already been viewed over 150,000 times.
Come back here: The man tries to make his way from the scene, but the goose is having none of it and comes charging back
Kung Fu fighting: He tries to fell it with a kick, but again the bird is too quick for him and easily evades the attack
This is MY park: The bird proudly stands victorious, having seen off another interloper
Wildlife expert Nathalie Karvonen, executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre, told the National Post the only time geese attack is when they are defending their partner and her nest.
'They're just being good dads, basically,' she said. 'They're wanting to protect their family and they view whoever is in the area as a threat to that.'
'In his little goose brain, he's got a certain radius around his nest that he's going to be protecting'
Nathalie Karvonen, executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre
She said that the birds are increasingly seen in cities as their habitats in wild southern Ontario are destroyed by developers.
She recommends that anyone finding themselves on the receiving should back away immediately, and not try to fight back like this man.
'In his little goose brain, he's got a certain radius around his nest that he's going to be protecting,' she said.
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