Horror as City ‘drowned’ ducks
Residents witness ‘cruel’ culling in local dam
DURBANVILLE residents in Welgevonden Estate watched in horror when a group of ducks were poisoned, drugged and drowned in the local dam, with the approval of the City and the SPCA.
The City culled, what residents said were more than 50 ducks at the dam and described the process as “cruel, uncalled for and disturbing” for residents from both Welgevonden and nearby Graanendal.
Resident Candice Johnson said because of the limited resources, the culling process went on for almost three hours while the birds were on the water sedated and their bodies buoyant, their heads fell into the water which caused them to drown as they were inhaling water.
“The SPCA claims the ducks were fed sedatives, except, they were not. We have a vet report from a duck we tried to save where, whatever they were fed, was an unidentifiable toxin.
“The manner in which it was administered meant that native non-invasive birds like the water coot ate the bread that was laced and was taken away as well for no reason even though it posed no threat and was not the supposed subject of the culling. This is the same reason our domestic farm grey goose was in danger as she ate some of the bread as well, despite us being told they knew she didn’t eat any because they watched,” she said.
Johnson said they were told that only the mallards would be taken and tested and brought back. She said no birds had been brought back.
“On the vet report from the duck we tried to save, it shows she had water in her lungs, proving she was drowning,” she said.
A Graanendal resident said while the City officials were bundling the birds from the water into cardboard boxes, some of the birds which started to gain consciousness struggled to escape from the boxes which were being stuffed so it would be inevitable for birds to suffocate.
SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abrahams said there were no observations made with regard to ducks that had drowned or died due to the sedation.
“The birds were captured as quickly as possible, placed into boxes, transported to a vehicle and there was no unnecessary delay in dispatching the vehicle to the euthanasia site.
Abrahams said the SPCA, however, informed the service provider of the need for additional resources to facilitate speedier retrieval of birds from bodies of water in the future.
Mayoral member for spatial planning and environment Marian Nieuwoudt said 38 ducks were removed, consisting of mallards and mallard hybrids. She said the rest of the ducks were taken away to a site to recover from the sedation and returned to the dam.
“The removal operation followed the best international practice and the City abided by animal welfare legislation to remove the mallard ducks and mallard hybrids,”she said.
Nieuwoudt urged residents to refrain from feeding wild ducks as she said this can lead to serious problems including fattening the ducks and overpopulation.