Maria meets the press

Echo Park's beloved goose, Maria, met the press and showed off his new digs at the L.A. Zoo today. He (yes, Maria is male) was joined by his best human friend Dominic, an Echo Park resident with whom he developed a deep friendship.

Earlier this year, Maria moved to the zoo in advance of the start of a major rehabilitation project at Echo Park (you can read more about the project here). In addition, the media attention around his potential homelessness led to threats to his safety.

Now Maria has a private lawn and pool in the Winnick Family Children's Zoo. Dominic visits him nearly every day and is happy that he's in a safe environment where he'll make thousands of new friends.