Fredericksburg’s most-famous resident has not been seen since earlier this month, according to his fans.
Gary, the white Emden goose who has made his home along the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg since at least 2017, has apparently not been seen since July 5—and his fans are growing increasingly worried.
“Gary is talked about usually once a day, sometimes twice a day,” said Kevin Brown, who moderates the Facebook page On the Fredericksburg Va Trails. “So, it’s very, very odd that, since he’s normally photographed or videoed every day, no one has seen him [in almost a month]. People are concerned as to what happened.”
Brown said Gary normally spends his time in the area of City Dock and that in June or July, he usually goes up the river towards Fall Hill Ave.
“He was seen up the river here and there starting in late June,” Brown said. “The last time anybody has a picture of him, he was below the Gari Melchers Home and Studio on the Stafford side, in the river up there. That was July 5.”
Joe Young, watershed manager for the Fredericksburg Police Department, said in an August 2023 video filmed by the city’s Economic Development and Tourism office, that Gary is a rescue, turned over to the state Department of Wildlife Resources.
“They nursed him back to health and returned him to the wild here at City Dock about seven years ago, and he’s been here ever since,” Young said.
In that time, Gary has developed an enormous following of fans and become possibly Fredericksburg’s most famous resident. He’s been the subject of art exhibits, appears on t-shirts and souvenirs of the city, and is visited and photographed daily.
“He’s a regular conversation piece,” Brown said. “A community has really built up around Gary the Goose.”
Amy Gardiner, owner of the downtown store Wren and Sparrow, said Gary has become “a beacon” for many people.
“People like to have something to rally around for sure,” she said. “And Gary is a nice symbol of things that are good and peaceful and bring people together.”
Worried residents have flown drones around the area to scout for Gary, and there have been discussions on several Facebook groups about organizing a search party for him.
Brown said Gary is a large “alpha male type goose” and that it’s possible, but unlikely, that a wild animal caught him. He may have been injured or caught in a fishing line, or he may have traveled farther upriver with another group of geese, Brown said.
“There’s also the scenario that someone harmed him,” he said.
Gary may also simply be seeking solitude, Gardiner said.
“The City Dock has gotten pretty busy lately, so he may have just gone on to one of his other places,” she said. “It’s nature.”
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