Do you think these folks are guilty of duck theft?

[Mozelly]

When I lived in Florida a nearby town called Belleview was on the news. It seems they had attack ducks at the city pond and the retirees didn't feel safe. One woman even had a neck brace on,saying she fell while running from these vicious ducks. Most of the ducks were Muscovy and were gathered and culled some found new homes.

 

[desertdarlene]

Very, very sad, as I've said before. Apparently this was a long-time problem.

This should be a good example that if an HOA or another association is going to purchase or care for ducks in a community, they need to have a plan as to their care and wellbeing. Where I live, there are associations that will compensate volunteers (to a point) to feed the ducks and check on their welfare on a daily basis. They also deal with problem animals and problem people, too. I think at one lake they stopped buying ornamental waterfowl like swans, geese and Muscovies a while back.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

As I read the article, the defendants are apparently the only ones who have issues with the ducks (I sa that based upon the news mentioning attendance at the hearings and trial of many residents outraged by the act, and no mention of supporters of the defendants). There were people who regularly fed them and checked on them.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Still, don't you think the ducks would have been better cared for, and been less of nuisance, if they at least had pens in which they could spend the night, and a place & time when they would be fed properly with something like layer pellets? It seems the HOA, like many inexperienced poultry keepers, didn't understand the full extent of their responsibility in keeping ducks. You shouldn't just let them loose to roam once they become adults, they still need proper feed and secure housing. My ducks are kept in their houses each night, I never hear them quacking after dark when they are put away.

But there were many other better options for this couple to choose from. It could be that the Aymonds were innocently following the advice given to them from the ACC officer, or they could have had malicious intent. Here's some pertinent details from the fourth link that I listed:

" The Aymonds were once enthusiastic about the ducks in their community. When Robert Aymond was a member of the homeowners association board, he voted for buying ducks, and one was even named "Bob" in his honor. But over time, the couple grew sour on the ducks, especially after the purchase of a new batch, and the Aymonds started to complain to the board about the droppings, damage to their backyard orchids, and the noises the birds were making.

In December 2008, they wrote a letter to the rest of their community, threatening a lawsuit over the ducks."In this suit, we will be seeking damages and attorneys' fees and costs," the letter said. "You as a group will be spending money to defend the suit, and if we win, you will be paying for our attorneys' fees and costs and damages for the destroyed plants."

Instead, a legal mediator was brought in, and by the next month, a settlement agreement was drawn up: The property owners association would pay the Aymonds $1,500 for any damage to their landscaping caused by the ducks, and the association would pay for the removal of five ducks of the couple's choosing. In exchange, the Aymonds would have to agree to stop complaining about the rest of the ducks.

The deal fell through.

The Aymonds then complained to Palm Beach County Commissioner Karen Marcus, who referred them to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control. In February 2009, Capt. Dave Walesky, the operations manager for the county's animal control, said the ducks weren't a matter for his office.

"However, I do not know of anything that prevents a landowner from humanely removing nuisance animals from their own property," Walesky wrote. "I would suggest that they capture these nuisance animals, while on their property, and turn them into an animal shelter that accepts stray exotic animals."

Two months later, on April 21, 2009, the Aymonds hired two off-duty Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies to keep the neighbors away as they paid a trapper to remove the ducks corralled in their screened patio enclosure and drive them, with a deputy escort, to the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League for immediate euthanization.

Why would a "no kill" shelter kill animals on demand? A big money donation from the Aymonds was the motive, according to a subsequent sheriff's office investigation."

I believe there is a new director of this animal shelter now, and he's saying that it's common for people to make a donation when surrendering animals to them. But it seems an easy link to connect the Aymonds' donation with the quick euthanization of these ducks.

 

[Rozzie]

Doesn't sound like a "donation" to me...sounds more like a bribe...

Of course that is my personal opinion & I'm not accusing anyone of bribery, lest the wrong thing be said. My point is merely that when you make a big "donation" so that a NO KILL shelter will immediately KILL...well, that doesn't sound like a donation any longer.

 

[Nekhebet]

These guys sound like unpleasant people...

cold hearted...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Here's a new article from today's paper: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime/palm-beach-gardens-couple-accused-of-foul-play-999457.html Note that the former director of the animal shelter testified that she told the Aymonds that the ducks would be euthanized. Stay tuned...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

And for those of you still interested, here's the latest update from the paper: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/couple-who-had-ducks-removed-say-they-had-1000967.html

Like the judge said, all this really is a shame. This development really is a beautiful place, and these folks should have been able to find a reasonable resolution. Too bad the HOA hadn't joined BYC and gotten some good advice on how to better contain & care for their ducks. If they had built some duck pens in which to confine the ducks they could have kept them from quacking early in the morning. I wonder why the Aymonds couldn't have put up fencing to keep the ducks out of their yard. Those ducks can't fly very high, they could have easily been kept out.

And I wonder about the amount of damage these ducks really did to their expensive orchids. Unless they were being kept at ground level, how could the ducks reach them to destroy them? Most folks keep orchids in hanging baskets or in pots on tables, not planted in the ground.

 

[dianaross77]

Quote:
My mother-in-law lives in a community with an HOA which strictly prohibits any type of fencing. That might be the reason for no fence. But I do agree, the community should have had proper housing for the ducks. You can't just let a litter of cats go in your yard and expect them not to cause problems. Its the same with any domesticated animal.

 

[pips&peeps]

I think they will probably get off since they are part of the HOA. Which technically means they had partial ownership.

Bummer deal they couldn't work something out to keep the ducks out.