OWASSO, Ok — Springtime is a haven for baby geese and other new life to nestle in the grass at Elm Creek Park in Owasso. You will often find turtles sunning themselves on a rock or ducks paddling across the pond.
However, some neighbors in Owasso are fed up with what appears to be ongoing cruelty to wildlife at the park. Concerned residents have posted on Facebook about animals being targeted.
This isn't the first time. Last year, 2 News reported about multiple geese found with darts shot through their bodies. Mike and Sherry Hughett were among those who rescued the injured animals in 2025.
"What we found was that this goose had a dart right through its neck and it was about 6 inches long and it was shot by some kids that just had one of these dart guns and they were just out just terrorizing the animals," Mike Hughett said.
Thankfully, the Hughetts were able to get help for the injured animals.
"It was just terrible. We were able to remove the dart and take it to a vet locally and they saved him," Mike Hughett said.
His wife, Sherry Hughett, said she is shocked by the cruelty.
"It's just hard to believe that kids could be that cruel. I'm a retired teacher and so I've seen a lot of behaviors but for kids or anyone actually, maybe it isn't kids, to hurt animals that are defenseless," Sherry Hughett said.
One of the other concerns is that people leave their fishing line out, and that can get entangled in the wildlife’s feathers and even their feet.
"The ducks and geese here, they are people friendly because there are so many people in the park and they will come over to you and kind of expecting some seed or something and they're really friendly," Sherry Hughett said.
2 News reached out to Owasso Police and was told that on March 8, they received a call about kids throwing things at the ducks. Then on March 30, there was another call about kids shooting ducks with paintballs. However, officers did not find any ducks or geese with injuries at that time.
Both Mike and Sherry Hughett believe parents need to have conversations with their children about treating animals humanely.
"I think parents should talk to their kids about animals and would they be involved and would they ever do anything like that if they ever heard about the story that you're talking about. What would they do? And just kind of feel them out and understand what they're thinking a little bit because a lot of parents are probably too busy to have those conversations," Mike Hughett said.
This story was reported on air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our
editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Sharon Phillips is your Owasso reporter.
Is there something you think she should know about or look into?
You can email her at Sharon.Phillips@kjrh.com.
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