Ohio wildlife officials reveal details behind SHOCK photo of man dragging dead geese through streets

Wildlife officials in Ohio have revealed that a viral photo of a man walking down the street with two geese in his arms was actually taken after the birds were hit by a car.

The man’s image is being used to support claims that migrants in the state are eating wild and domestic animals.

Despite the wild claims, the Ohio Division of Wildlife confirmed TMZ that the man in the picture was picking up the geese after being hit by a car in Columbus.

Authorities told the outlet that there is no evidence that the man is an immigrant, has Haitian nationality or intended to eat the birds.

Donald Trump and other conservatives claim that migrants in the city of Springfield, Ohio, are preying on local wildlife and pets.

Donald Trump and conservative colleagues claim migrants in the city of Springfield, Ohio, are eating local wildlife and pets

The photo was originally posted to a Columbus Reddit page in July, and a few weeks later a Springfield resident called 911 after seeing Haitian migrants kidnapping geese in a park.

The former president referenced the incident at a rally in Arizona earlier this week to support his claims.

He told the crowd: “Recordings of 911 calls show residents reporting the migrants running off with the city’s geese.

“They’re taking the geese. Do you know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake. And they’re even running away with their pets.”

The original photographer of the man holding the animals told NBC4: ‘I was just driving down the street and saw a man walking down the street with a goose.

‘I thought it was a bit strange, you know, not something you see every day. I was going to talk to him.

“He didn’t speak English, as far as I can tell. He wasn’t Haitian, I’ve heard Haitian people before.”

The anonymous photographer says he took the photo to document something strange he had seen and was shocked when the photo was used to spread misinformation.

The city of Springfield, Ohio (pictured) has become a bone of contention in the presidential race, with the unsubstantiated rumor even reaching the hands of JD Vance and Donald Trump

He added: ‘I don’t recall anyone commenting on race, immigration status or anything else when I posted the photo.

“I hate that the picture I took is being used as a weapon. I actually hate that I took the picture in the first place.”

Lee, pictured here, admitted she heard the rumor about Haitian migrants eating cats in her town from her neighbor, who in turn heard it from the alleged cat owner.

The rumors of pets being eaten in Springfield were originally spread by 35-year-old local woman Erika Lee.

Lee alerted locals on Facebook that her neighbor had told her her daughter’s friend had lost her cat, but she had later found it hanging in front of a Haitian family’s house.

She has now admitted that she had no first-hand knowledge of the allegations, and neither did her neighbour.

She told NBC News, “It escalated into something I didn’t want,” with Trump referencing this during his debate with Kamala Harris.

Her post sparked panic after she warned that Haitian migrants were hanging cats from a branch “like you would slaughter a deer, and then cutting the cats up to eat.”

“I’ve been told they do this with dogs, they did it in Snyder Park with the ducks and geese,” she added, claiming she was told by authorities.

The post caught the attention of conservatives, many of whom were also taken with images of an American woman reportedly stomping on a cat’s head before eating the anima.

Although the claims are unconfirmed, Ohio Senator and Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance has reiterated rumors that Haitian migrants are eating people’s pets

The bizarre video shared online was wrongly attributed to the Haitian migrant community.

Although Ohio authorities insisted there were no reports they could investigate, the rumor spread so widely that both men at the top of the Republican ticket also confirmed it.

JD Vance brought up the rumor on his X account, writing: “Months ago I brought up the problem of illegal Haitian immigrants draining social services and causing chaos throughout Springfield, Ohio.

‘Reports now show that people have had their pets kidnapped and eaten by people who don’t belong here. Where is our border czar?’

A day later, Trump repeated similar statements during the debate, which was broadcast to 67 million Americans.

He said, ‘They eat the dogs. They eat the cats. They eat the pets of the people who live there.’

Lee now says she never expected her post to “go beyond Springfield” and has since deleted it because she didn’t expect it to cause a national buzz.