The only duck in paradise!
Mystery of mallard that’s made Pacific island its home
THE 1,600 inhabitants of Niue have little to distract them from the gentle ebb and flow of life on their remote paradise island in the Pacific.
So when a duck mysteriously appeared in a puddle beside a dirt road near the airport, the entire nation was sent into a flap.
For Trevor, as he has been named, is believed to be the only duck on the island.
No one knows where the mallard came from or how he got there, but some have suggested he may have flown over from New Zealand, about 1,750 miles away, or been a stowaway on a yacht.
Now the lonely duck – named after the speaker of the House of Representatives in New Zealand, Trevor Mallard – is facing a battle for survival.
Niue, one of the world’s smallest independent nations, has no wetlands or ponds, so he is stuck in his puddle. A lack of rainfall means it is constantly drying up, requiring the local fire service to keep it full.
There are also concerns about his lack of contact with his own species and the attentions of a group of bullying wild roosters.
Officials are considering options including relocating him, flying in a friend or using wooden decoy ducks as companions. Kirk Yates, the New Zealand high commissioner in Niue, said the wellbeing of the ‘celebrity duck’ was a matter of national concern.
He added people had ‘done their research’ on feeding Trevor. At first he was given baguettes but now volunteers offer a more nutritious diet of peas, corn, oats and rice.
Despite the concerns, locals have grown fond of Trevor and insist he is happy where he is. The island’s tourism chief Felicity Bollen told The Guardian: ‘If he’s come to Niue to make it his home… we should just let him be and provide him with clean water.
‘If he wants to stay, that should be up to Trevor the duck – no one should interfere.’
Randall Haines, a local resident, told ABC News: ‘We drive into town and you can’t help yourself, you look over and see if it’s still in the puddle, and it is. It seems quite happy.’