The claim: Image shows Haitian migrant carrying dead goose in Springfield, Ohio
A Sept. 9 Facebook post ( direct link , archived link ) shows a man walking down a sidewalk holding a dead goose.
"Report: Springfield Ohio residents are warning their pets and wildlife like ducks and geese are being eaten by Haitians," reads text within the post, which was originally shared on X, formerly Twitter . "One neighbor said she saw her cat being carved up by the Haitians. Another neighbor said a police officer told her this is happening to dogs, ducks and geese."
The post was shared more than 800 times in four days. Other versions of the claim were shared on Facebook and Instagram .
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Our rating: False
The photo was captured in July in Columbus, Ohio, not Springfield. There are no credible reports of animals being harmed by Haitian migrants in either city.
Dead goose photo not captured in Springfield
The town of Springfield, Ohio, was thrust into the national spotlight when former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. J.D. Vance claimed Haitian migrants were eating their neighbors' pets and local wildlife. About 15,000-20,000 Haitians have moved to the city in recent years and are living there legally under a humanitarian parole program to escape gang violence and environmental disasters back home, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
As USA TODAY has reported , there is no credible evidence Haitian migrants have done what Vance and Trump claimed.
And the photo shown in the post wasn't captured in Springfield.
The picture was originally shared on a Columbus subreddit on July 28 with the caption, "Things you see while driving in CBUS." The photo's background matches a Google Street View of Cleveland Avenue in Columbus, which is located more than 50 miles from Springfield.
Fact check : No, Haitian migrants aren’t ‘decapitating ducks’ in Springfield, Ohio
The user who shared the picture told The Columbus Dispatch he shared the photo because it wasn't "something you see every day" but regretted taking it now that it was "being weaponized to use against immigrants."
There have been no credible reports on the circumstances behind the photo or the origin of the man in it. USA TODAY reached out to the Columbus Police Department but didn't immediately receive a response.
Karen Graves , a Springfield city spokesperson, previously told USA TODAY that city officials “have not received any substantiated reports of duck mutilation," and City Manager Bryan Heck said in a statement , “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community."
A recording of a call to dispatchers in Ohio’s Clark County – where Springfield is located – and a “call detail report” circulating on social media indicate that on Aug. 26 a man reported seeing four Haitian migrants taking geese. But the report doesn't say whether the geese were dead or alive or if police ever found the geese or the group of Haitians.
Clark County Commissioner Sasha Rittenhouse said at a Sept. 11 meeting that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was unable to find any evidence to back up the claim, according to the Springfield News-Sun.
"No videos have surfaced, no pictures have surfaced, no dead geese have surfaced; there’s nothing to substantiate that it’s happening," Rittenhouse said.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Lead Stories and Snopes also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
- USA TODAY, Sept. 12, No, Haitian migrants aren’t ‘decapitating ducks’ in Springfield, Ohio | Fact check
- USA TODAY, Sept. 11, ‘They’re eating the dogs’: Trump echoes false anti-immigrant rumor during debate
- Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 11, Columbus man regrets taking goose photo he says is being weaponized against immigrants
- Isitmeyourelooking4x, July 28, Reddit post
- Google Street View, accessed Sept. 12, 4760 Cleveland Avenue
- Springfield News-Sun, Sept. 11, County: No evidence of August claim that Haitians took geese at Springfield park
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Photo of man holding dead goose not taken in Springfield, Ohio | Fact check
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