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If the word out of a certain Facebook group about Palmetto Bay is accurate, we are about to embark on a great civil war pitting neighbor against neighbor.
What issue could so divide a community? Is it bridges versus un-spanned canals? Bike paths versus Mega-sidewalks? Through streets versus cul-de-sacs?
No.
It’s ducks. Specifically, Muscovy ducks.
You’d know them if you saw them. These aren’t Daffy or Donald. They’re fat-bottomed, ill-tempered waterfowl whose heads are crusted with large red lesions. They’re waddling tumors — more akin to rats with webbed feet than waterbirds.
Unlike most duck species, Muscovies aren’t fully protected by federal law. A landowner can remove a Muscovy duck from his or her property without fear of repercussions. The regulations allow the capture and destruction of Muscovy birds, chicks, eggs, and nests.
The law considers them a nuisance. The only thing you can’t do with them is to relocate them.
You can either humanely euthanize them or leave them alone. There is no middle ground.
Unlike mallards, teals, pintails, and American wigeons, Muscovy’s are not really migratory.
They tend to stay in one place year-round. They can crowd out other species and their populations grow unchecked, lacking natural predators to keep their numbers in balance.
Some misguided residents have taken to feeding them. And I’m not talking about an occasional bread crust. People dump large piles of feed each morning next to the bridge and walkways in Coral Reef Park, attracting a huge paddling of Muscovies, as well as an ostentation of peacocks.
Although somewhat comical in appearance, the ducks can become aggressive when stressed for food. And that is what’s happened in Palmetto Bay. There have been a number of reports of aggressive ducks chasing children in Coral Reef Park. In one instance a little girl was chased by a Moscuvy duck, knocked down, and hurt.
Not surprisingly, the Village of Palmetto Bay always has had a policy in place to remove aggressive ducks. The village paid a trapper to isolate and remove about 18 total ducks from the park over the past few months. (And in accordance with federal regulations, since they could not be relocated, they were humanely euthanized.)
I have this bit of advice for all the duck lovers out there: don’t worry. There are still lots of the waddlers hanging around Coral Reef Park and only a few are up to no good. But the best solution would be to ban the feeding of Muscovy ducks. They’re wild animals and we do them no favors by habituating them to associate village residents with food.
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