JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 For Jevon Macon, the dream of homeownership has turned into a territorial standoff. <\/p>\n
Macon, who bought her home in the Longleaf Branch community on Jacksonville\u2019s Westside five years ago, says she has never had an issue with local wildlife\u2014until now. Her backyard is occupied and guarded by a group of aggressive Canada geese that have effectively placed her family out of their backyard. <\/p>\n
The boundary is clear: a brick fireplace in the backyard. Step past it, and the geese charge. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe geese just came up and started flying at us,\u201d resident Larry Taylor said. <\/p>\n
The six geese have turned the lawn into a fortified nesting ground. The situation has become so volatile that Macon says her two Yorkies can no longer use the yard safely. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey have been extremely aggressive towards my family,\u201d Macon said. \u201cMy pups… they\u2019re unsafe to come out to use the restroom.\u201d <\/p>\n
Macon attributes the sudden influx to a lapse in neighborhood maintenance. She claims the HOA failed to mow the overgrown grass behind her property for two months, providing the perfect cover for the birds during mating season. They went out on Thursday to trim the grass. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the fact that it has gone unnoticed and uncut gave them the opportunity to create a nest here in my backyard,\u201d Macon said. <\/p>\n
However, reclaiming the yard isn\u2019t as simple. When Macon reached out to her HOA and local agencies for help, she was met with a legal roadblock: The Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Under federal law, Canada geese and their nests are protected; it is illegal to move, harm, or destroy them without a specific federal permit. <\/p>\n
Instead of an extraction team, Macon was sent an instructional video on \u201chow to live with wildlife.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely don\u2019t want them hurt. I just don\u2019t want them here,\u201d Macon said. \u201cI don\u2019t want them attacking my family or my pups.\u201d <\/p>\n
For now, the family is forced to navigate their own property with caution. Macon has resorted to carrying a stick to ward off the birds, but the sense of security in her own home has vanished. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know whether to stand tall, try to stand our ground, or run,\u201d she said. \u201cTo be safe… it\u2019s like this is not my territory anymore.\u201d <\/p>\n
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