June 21, 2021, 04:10 PM
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A lone Mandarin duck has caused quite a buzz among residents in Singapore.
For those who have not caught a glimpse of the celebrity duck, which was suspected to be an escapee pet given that it has a tag attached to its foot, it is no longer present at the canal near Blk 522.
Runaway Mandarin duck no longer at Hougang canal
When Mothership went to the canal this afternoon (June 21), the mandarin duck did not appear to be there.
Speaking to people in the neighbourhood, Mothership understands that authorities came to catch the duck in the morning.
However, the attempt to capture the duck was unsuccessful as the duck flew away.
No duck sighted at the canal on June 21 afternoon. Video by Fiona Tan.
Owner wants to bring duck home
Another bird photographer who wanted to be known only as Lim said that a Chinese man who claimed to be the owner of the duck came to the canal in the morning.
The owner was caught in a dilemma, Lim said. While he wanted to bring the male mandarin duck back, he was also afraid of being "reported" or "scolded" by members of the public.
Lim understands that it was a pair of mandarin ducks that escaped from their owner.
The female duck has not been seen for a while, Lim added.
While the duck has flown off, it might return to this canal which has a nice shady spot.
Members of the public told Mothership over the weekend that the bird had flown off once to other water bodies in Hougang after being scared off by the grass cutting nearby but it had come back again after a while.
The Mandarin duck has clearly won the hearts of many people with its charisma, drawing regular streams of visitors in the past week.
Photo by Zheng Zhangxin.
Video courtesy of Derick Tay.
Someone also appears to be feeding the duck as rice is being scattered around the canal as seen on June 19.
Speaking to Mothership, a shop owner said that he does not know who has been feeding the duck but hopes the person stops doing so as the duck is able to fend for itself.
Mandarin duck limping
The lone male Mandarin duck appeared to have injured itself recently.
Video by Zheng Zhangxin.
It was seen limping on June 19 and the injury was observed by Lim on June 21 as well.
It is unknown how it hurt its foot.
Photo by Zheng Zhangxin.
Hope it is safe.
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Top image by Zheng Zhangxin and Katherine Lu
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