A duck rescuer who has spent nearly a decade saving and relocating wild geese in Ohio has been inundated with calls from concerned Springfield residents amid allegations that migrants are eating wild birds.
Lisa Montgomery was shocked when she discovered the “unusual” number of birds that have disappeared in the region, and now has “serious concerns” that they are being “killed for food”.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Lisa said the sheer number of birds that have gone missing in recent times has far exceeded previous summers in the region.
She has been rescuing ducks and geese throughout Ohio for nearly 10 years, owning and operating Mid Ohio Waterfowl Rescue since 2015.
“Over the years, I’ve been contacted by many people in the Springfield area. Recently, I’ve been told that they are killing ducks and geese for food,” he said.
“I have serious concerns about this and I believe that is true.”
Lisa Montgomery was shocked to discover the “unusual” number of birds that have disappeared in the region, and now has “serious concerns” that they are being “killed for food”.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Lisa said the sheer number of birds that have gone missing recently has far exceeded previous summers in the region.
She has been rescuing ducks and geese throughout Ohio for nearly 10 years, having owned and operated Mid Ohio Waterfowl Rescue since 2015.
Lisa said the warmer months, particularly May through July, are when native birds like Canada geese and mallards are most vulnerable because they are going through an annual molt.
Lately, she has received numerous reports from Springfield residents concerned about growing rumors that animals are being stolen and killed by immigrants.
Local police say they have no verified reports of such behavior.
Springfield experienced a wave of legal Haitian migration in 2020 in an attempt to revive the struggling local economy.
Haitians, who were already in the country legally, moved to the city and were willing to do the manual labor that the locals were not enthusiastic about.
Within a few years, 20,000 immigrants arrived, swelling Springfield’s population, which was just 58,000 in 2020. These people came with Social Security numbers and work permits, paid taxes, and occupied abandoned and previously boarded-up homes.
Lisa said the warmer months, May through July in particular, are when native birds like Canada geese and mallards are most vulnerable, because they are going through an annual molt.
Rumors flared again following the presidential debate between Trump and Harris on Tuesday night, when the former president addressed the allegations.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs. The people who came here are eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people who live there.”
Lisa said that “many people have contacted me about the situation and asked me to help the remaining birds that were recently abandoned before their fate is the same as their cousins.”
“It’s a very disturbing situation and even more disturbing are the people who laugh and make jokes about it.”
Lisa also noted that in certain areas of Ohio there is a broader, ongoing problem of people purchasing and then discarding domestic ducks in local parks.
Springfield, Ohio, has become a flashpoint in the immigration debate after droves of Haitian immigrants flocked to the city in 2020 to fill job vacancies.
A Springfield, Ohio, resident claimed that Haitian immigrants have been decapitating ducks in public parks and eating them.
These ducks and geese have been domesticated and are not equipped to survive in the wild on their own. “It’s a problem that is repeated throughout the United States and I assume in other countries as well,” he said.
While there has been an increase in missing birds in Lisa’s experience, she said this doesn’t necessarily always mean they are being stolen and killed.
He said he initially expected this phenomenon to be the result of predators in the area.
But after thinking about it more, Lisa said the timing just doesn’t work.
“Predation is also a real thing, but not at the rate at which birds have disappeared,” he said.
“Predation tends to occur more in the winter months, when ponds freeze over and birds have no protection.”
Last month, a Springfield resident claimed during a city commission meeting that Haitian immigrants were decapitating ducks in public parks and eating them.
He said: ‘They are in the park, they grab the ducks by the neck, they cut off their heads and they take them away. They are eating them.’
The city of Springfield told DailyMail.com in a statement on Monday: “We wish to clarify that there have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
