Flock off: ducks divide neighbours
A rift has formed in Hamilton’s Ross Crescent.
There’s a couple on one side, neighbours on the other and in the middle is a mob of about 30 unruly Pekin ducks.
The flock’s latest escapade sparked a heated exchange on the street and earned them three nights in the pen.
These rogues have racked up seven council complaints in six months, some from neighbouring properties fed up with duck poo on their doorstep and damage to their gardens.
Their owners, however, say their ducks are harmless.
Either way, their wild ways have divided the community.
Yet all started innocently for Patsy Paraha and her partner, Peter Hynes.
They received the Pekin ducks when the original owner moved elsewhere three years ago.
There were two female ducks and one male duck.
‘‘The first season, we weren’t sure what their breeding or laying habits were but we went up north and came back home to Hamilton and there were 33.’’
The ducks are pets, she said. They lay, too - about 50 eggs a year.
Fowl come and go as they please.
‘‘They always come back for a feed and when they are home they stay around the back, wherever, really.’’
But their relaxed approach to duck ownership hasn’t been well received.
Eight of the ducks were impounded this month after an incident that saw animal control request police assistance.
The council officers had responded to complaints from two seperate Ross Cres residents about the birds nesting at their properties.
Two officers were verbally abused in the street so the decision was made to call police, Hamilton City Council animal education and control team leader Peter Crocker said.
‘‘We made the decision to pick the ducks up and bring them into the pound because they were out free and roaming in the area.
‘‘While the officers were doing this, they encountered some people who verbally abused them, threatened them, saying the ducks shouldn’t be taken away.
‘‘It got to the stage where police assistance was required to stop what could have got ugly.’’
Paraha said she was upset the ducks were being impounded and admitted there were heated discussions with animal control and police.
However, the stand-off didn’t escalate beyond words.
Since December, there have been seven duck-related complaints.
Birds have dug up neighbours’ gardens and made a mess on doorsteps.
‘‘We’ve had calls about them being on Holland Rd and disrupting traffic and just about being run over,’’ Crocker said.
‘‘We have spoken to the owners of the ducks on several occasions regarding containment.’’
He said there are no rules around keeping ducks in residential areas.
‘‘Providing they don’t cause a nuisance to neighbours or anything like that then you can keep them.
‘‘You could have an elephant in your backyard if you wanted to.’’
The ducks were impounded for three nights before animal control decided to release them to Paraha.
It would have cost Paraha $80 to get the eight ducks out of the pen and if they stayed any longer, there would have been an added sustenance charge per duck, per day.
On this occasion, there was no cost to Paraha. Instead, animal control opted to meet with the owners and educate them on proper containment so they are not a nuisance to neighbours.
‘‘It was distressing while they were away so I’m glad to have them home.
‘‘We’ve grown so accustomed to them and they really are a part of our community.’’