Wild goose chase pits animal control officers against residents

Some residents of a south Tulsa neighborhood confronted animal control officers early Tuesday, and when the situation turned physical police had to respond.

The dispute concerns the residents' contention that Mill Creek Pond, near S. Sheridan Road and E. 96th St., is designated as a wildlife sanctuary, and that the city had no right to remove any of the wild waterfowl from the area.

The city contends that the pond's designation is not official, and it was the Mill Creek Pond Homeowner's Association that called them to come remove some of the geese.

Don and Joann Mee tell KRMG they care for the birds, and that the city removed some domestic geese along with some of the wild ones.

Other residents noted that they had seen fewer birds this year than in recent memory, and they didn't understand the need to remove them.

Some even said they were extremely upset by the action.

Police on the scene told KRMG the city presented them with documentation showing they were authorized to be on the property, and that the pond is not an official sanctuary.

The Mees have a document indicating that the pond was designated a wildlife sanctuary in 1989 by the Humane Society of the United States.

They said the neighborhood got the designation to ensure no exit from the Creek Turnpike would be built at Sheridan Road.

KRMG contacted the president of the Homeowner's Association, who said he believes a majority of the residents find the birds destructive and wanted some of them removed.

Both sides indicated they are prepared to go to court to resolve the issue.