Ohio wildlife officials have revealed that a viral photo of a man walking down the street while holding two geese was actually taken after the birds were hit by a car.
The man’s image has been used to fuel claims that immigrants in the state have been eating wild animals and pets.
Despite wild claims, the Ohio Division of Wildlife confirmed that… TMZ that the man in the picture was collecting geese after being hit by a car in Columbus.
Authorities told the outlet there is no evidence to suggest the man is an immigrant, Haitian or had plans to eat the birds.
Donald Trump and his fellow conservatives have been claiming that immigrants in the city of Springfield, Ohio, have been devouring local wildlife and pets.
The man’s image has been used to fuel claims that migrants in the state have been eating wild animals and pets.
Donald Trump and his fellow conservatives have been claiming that immigrants in the city of Springfield, Ohio, have been devouring local wild animals and pets.
The snapshot was originally posted on a Columbus Reddit page in July and weeks later a Springfield resident called 911 after seeing Haitian immigrants trapping geese in a park.
The former president referenced the incident during a rally in Arizona earlier this week to back up his claims.
He told the crowd: ‘A recording of 911 calls shows residents reporting that migrants are leaving with the city’s geese.
‘They take the geese. Do you know where they are? In the park, on the lake. And they even go for walks with their pets.’
The original photographer of the man holding the animals said: NBC4:’I was driving down the street and I saw a guy walking down the street with a goose.
“I thought it was crazy, you know, something you don’t see every day. I was going to talk to him.
“He didn’t speak much English, as far as I know. He wasn’t Haitian. I’d heard of Haitians before.”
The anonymous photographer said he took the photo to document something strange he saw and was shocked when it was repurposed for disinformation.
The city of Springfield, Ohio (pictured) has become a flashpoint in the presidential race, with the unfounded rumor even reaching the hands of JD Vance and Donald Trump.
She added: ‘I don’t recall anyone commenting on race, immigration status or anything else at the time I posted the photo.
“I hate that the photo I took is being used as a weapon. I hate the fact that I took that photo.”
Lee, pictured here, admitted that he heard the rumor that Haitian immigrants were eating cats in his town from his neighbor, who heard it from the cat’s alleged owner.
Rumors about pets being eaten in Springfield were originally started by local woman Erika Lee, 35.
Lee warned locals on Facebook that her neighbor informed her that her daughter’s friend lost her cat before finding it hanging outside a Haitian family’s home.
She has now come forward and admitted that she had no first-hand knowledge of the claims and that her neighbour did not either.
She told NBC News: “It just blew up into something that I didn’t want to happen,” and Trump referenced it during his debate with Kamala Harris.
Her post sparked panic after warning that Haitian migrants were hanging cats “from a branch like they would a deer to kill it, and they were cutting it into pieces to eat.”
“I’ve been told they’re doing this to the dogs, they’ve been doing it in Snyder Park to the ducks and geese,” he added, saying authorities told him so.
The post caught the attention of conservatives, with many also seizing on the images of an American woman who allegedly stomped on a cat’s head before eating it.
Although the claims are unconfirmed, Ohio Senator and vice presidential candidate JD Vance has repeated rumors that Haitian immigrants have been eating people’s pets.
The savage video shared online was falsely attributed to the Haitian migrant community.
Although Ohio authorities stressed that there were no reports they could even investigate, the rumor circulated widely enough that the two men at the top of the Republican ticket echoed it.
JD Vance mentioned the rumor on his X account, writing: ‘Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio.
“There are reports that people have had their pets kidnapped and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country. Where is our border czar?”
A day later, Trump reiterated similar statements during the debate, which was broadcast to 67 million Americans.
He said: ‘They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people who live there.’
Lee now says he never expected his post to “get past Springfield” and has since deleted it because he didn’t anticipate it would spark a national buzz.
