PHOENIX — The hunt is on for the person killing geese in one Phoenix neighborhood. Neighbors say they have found six of the birds dead this week, apparently shot with a BB gun.
People living near the two lakes off 28th Drive near Peoria Avenue are not big fans of the local geese.
"They leave a mess all over sidewalks, the lawns. They wake you up in the morning, they keep you awake at night," said one woman, named Jayme. "I don't like them."
Jayme is now fighting for the birds, after some were slaughtered Sunday night.
"I want to cry. It hurts," she said.
"There were six geese killed. And there were feathers all up and down 28th Drive," said Beth Curlee.
"It was carnage, that's all you can say," said Jayme.
Neighbors tell ABC15 the Canada geese were not hit and killed accidentally.
"As they were tending to the geese they noticed they had the bullet wounds, or the BB wounds," said Jayme.
"One of the geese had a shot through the temple, basically, if geese have temples, and came out the other side," said Curlee.
The neighborhood can actually destroy goose eggs because they have a permit, but it is illegal to kill the migratory birds without a license and during the designated season because Canada geese have federal and state protections.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is now investigating, but cannot confirm if the geese were shot because they tell ABC15 they never saw the carcasses.
The community, meanwhile, hopes the shooter stops or is caught.
A department spokesperson says it is a misdemeanor to kill a migratory bird without a license, and can result in fines. Officials ask anyone who witnesses any suspicious behavior regarding potentially unlawful acts against wildlife should call its Operation Game Thief hotline immediately: 1-800-352-0700. Callers can remain anonymous.
