MIRAMAR, Fla. – Residents of a Coconut Shores neighborhood inside Miramar’s Silver Lakes community are upset over what happened to the beautiful geese that used to fill their lake.
Those residents now say what happened to those geese was cruel.
Aurora Wonder has lived in Coconut Shores for 28 years, nearly three decades spent feeding and admiring the geese from her Silver Lakes Miramar home.
“They killed them,” Wonder said. “We have the videos. That they’re floating. Dead.”
She and her neighbors were devastated to learn that dozens of geese in the lake were killed on Tuesday.
A local pest management company told Local 10 News’ Saira Anwer they received a call from a property management association hiring them to kill what they were told were “invasive geese.”
Neighbors said they thought the company used poison to do the job.
“The poison was put there exactly because they knew that was where they were going to come and kill them,” Wonder said.
Wildlife expert Ron Magill described the images of the dead geese as clear cruelty to animals.
“From what I saw, at least from one of the animals it looked like a type of poison,” said Magill. “That was given to the animal dying a slow horrible miserable death.”
Magill told Local 10 there are other ways to remove an animal that may be a nuisance.
“Any animal that is a nuisance or non-native can legally be humanely removed from the area,” he said. “The key word is humanely. I look at this video and this does not look humanely at all.”
Local 10 News’ Roy Ramos spoke with Rolando Calzadilla, the owner of Pest Wildlife Pro, the company commissioned to remove the geese. He said cruelty was never the intention.
“It was for them to remain on land, fall asleep, pick them up and take them away and then humanely euthanize them,” Calzadilla said.
Unfortunately, Calzadilla explained that after he gave the geese a sedative, they were spooked by a passing car and flew back into the lake.
As he went to retrieve them, residents started to notice he was doing and became upset, so he called the police.
“By the time I waited for the police to come, some of the geese were in the water too long and they may have drowned,” Calzadilla said.
In a letter sent to residents, SilverLakes Community Association, Inc. said, in part:
“...The Associations contract with Pest Wildlife Pro required that the vendor remove the birds by legal means in compliance with all Federal, State and local laws and ordinances. Please be assured that SilverLakes is discussing the actions taken by the trapper and will address any deviation from the contract.”
Watch Local 10 News’ Saira Anwer’s 5pm report below:
Wonder does not speak softly about those responsible for killing her beloved geese.
“Horrible, I hate it,” she said. “I hate Silver Lakes.”
A neighbor who didn’t want her face on camera told Local 10 News in tears that her daughters named the ducks in the lake outside their home, and she can’t sleep at night after seeing them dead.
“More than 45 animals dying in front of my yard,” the resident said. “They were the most beautiful thing we had. They were not bothering anyone, they would not cross the fences.”
Neighbors wondered if the geese were pests, why weren’t they just relocated? Or why weren’t geese-loving neighbors like Wonder simply told to stop feeding them?
Miramar police told Local 10 News they have since cited all parties involved.
“This is animal cruelty,” said Wonder. “You don’t kill animals like that.”
Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam also reached out to his residents with a statement that read, in part:
“...the manner in which they were removed violates the city’s Bird Sancuary Ordinance. ...Based on the geese being Euthanized within City limits, a notice of violation and Summons to Appear will be delivered to the Association. Pest Wild Life will be issued a Summons to Appear as well.”
According to Miramar Police, the Gray Leg Geese are not a protected species which means killing them was not a criminal offense. However, with the association and pest control company both being cited, they will have to go before a judge. That judge will determine the fines they will end up facing.