Gainesville (Fla.) Family Physicians' campus, located near North Florida Regional Medical Center, used to house not only clinicians in the building but also ducks and geese on a pond. However, in May, the organization had the waterfowl removed, citing them as a patient safety issue.
The geese were harassing patients, and the birds' poop in the parking lot was deemed a health hazard. The physicians could have faced fines if they didn't take action, according to The Gainesville Sun.
"The top priority of Gainesville Family Physicians and North Florida Regional Medical Center is the safety and well-being of our patients, staff and visitors. Recently, that goal was jeopardized," officials from the physician group told the paper in a statement.
Not everyone is happy about the birds' removal — one patient in particular, 77-year-old Joe Morales, said he visited and fed the birds daily and told the Sun he is "devastated" by their removal. He started an online petition to bring the birds back.