Explanation finally revealed for viral image of man holding geese that fueled bizarre pet-eating claims in Ohio

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A viral photo of a man carrying two geese in Ohio fueled Donald Trump’s wild, now-debunked conspiracy that Haitian migrants are eating pets in the state – but turns out it was a wild goose chase.

The Ohio Division of Wildlife told TMZ that the man was picking up the two geese that had been hit by a car in Columbus, which is about 45 minutes from Springfield, where Trump had previously claimed that migrants were chowing down on the birds.

In order to collect a carcass, people need documentation from a county sheriff or wildlife officer, the wildlife organization explained, but according to the Franklin County Wildlife Office, this is not required for geese, meaning the man had a right to them.

TMZ reported that there is no evidence that the man is Haitian, an immigrant or that he even intended to eat the geese.

At a rally in Tucson, Arizona, this week, Trump dragged geese into his narrative.

“A recording of 911 calls show that residents are reporting that the migrants are walking off with the town’s geese,” Trump said.

“They’re taking the geese. You know where the geese are? In the park, in the lake. And even walking off with their pets.”

Trump once again offered no evidence to support his claims.

The claims about geese come just days after the former president wildly pushed the false narrative about Haitian migrants eating pets as he faced off against Kamala Harris on stage in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday for their first – and likely only – presidential debate.

Local authorities had already debunked the lies even before Trump peddled the narrative on the debate stage, with Springfield police saying there is no credible evidence to support the allegations.

“They’re eating the dogs. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” he said on Tuesday as Harris’s expression flitted between shock and amusement.

“Extreme,” the vice president quipped in response, as 67 million ABC viewers watched on television.

The rumors stemmed from a bizarre anecdote posted by Springfield local Erika Lee on a local Facebook group, where she alleged that a cat owner found her dead pet hanging from the tree ready to be skinned, butchered and eaten in a house said to be occupied by Haitian immigrants.

Lee has since told NewsGuard that it was a tale that she heard fourth-hand, coming from a neighbor’s friend’s daughter – whom she had never met.