Pacific island crying death of "the world's loneliest duck"

More than 1700 km northeast of New Zealand is a small island, dwritten as "a place where nature has not been broken". They call niue at the atoll full of coral.

Its imposing limestone rocks and immaculate bathing sites stand out, the island population is about 1,600 people, and Since January 2018, a duck, a mallard duck named Trevor, has been added.

Elsewhere in the world, ducks are usually found in lakes or lagoons, but Trevor's presence in Niue was somewhat surprising. Before his arrival, there was no other duck on the isolated island, commonly called "the Rock" for its lack of marshes, lakes, ponds or rivers.

Local officials believe that Trevor (as spokesperson for the New Zealand House of Representatives, Trevor Mallard) finished in Niue after flying there because of a storm.

But unlike other ducks who have come from time to time in the past, Trevor stayed. A mud puddle at the edge of a dirt road became his new home, and Trevor "are now part of the community," said Rae Finlay, president of the Niue Chamber of Commerce, The Washington Post in a telephone interview on Tuesday.

But the lonely existence of Trevor, which caught the attention of the whole world and won the distinction "The most solitary duck in the world" had a tragic end.

"We had information that Trevor duck Niue is dead," was released Friday on the duck's Facebook page, controlled by Finlay. "He was found dead in a bush after being attacked by dogs."

Trevor's concern, known as "a world celebrity and promoter of Niu" began to be mentioned by the island and on social networks last week whenMany wondered where he would have gone after not being seen in his puddle of water.

"I'm lost and I can not find my puddle of water," was shared on a Facebook message about Trevor announced Wednesday. "Has anyone seen me this week somewhere in Niue?", Widely shared comments.

"What's going on?", Wrote Clara Trevett, a reporter for the New Zealand Herald who was one of the first to report on Trevor's existence in September.

The story, titled "The Unhappy Story of the Only Niue Duck", was a viral spread and drove the duck to international fame, asked another person. "I hope he's happy."

However, Finlay would soon discover that it was not good.

"We went to get him and one of the local families told us that a dog had attacked him"she said. "Someone saw the dog attacking." The littleor the friendly and charming duck of Niue was placed near his puddle, said Finlay. "It will not be easy for many to admit that it is no longer with us," she said.

When Finlay saw Trevor in his puddle last year, he never thought he would stay on the island.

"I saw it fly," she says. "It did not seem like an injury had prevented him from flying, we did not know why he had decided to stay there, but he did."

Despite managing this after several calls that he would bring a mate to Trevor or even that he could be taken to a more convenient place for ducksFinlay said the proposed solutions presented their own problems.

"There were concerns regarding the introduction of a second duck in a place without a natural water source," she said, adding that Trevor's puddle was "just big enough for a duck".

Moving Trevor to another site was also a challenge because no one knew exactly where he came from, the subject was so explored that They finally decided to stay where he had come because of his own tastes. They had an argument. "He was probably happy, he stayed where he wanted to be," she said.

Shortly after, Trevor became a part of the community. A plaque was erected near his puddle indicating "the sanctuary of the duck of Niue" and under the name of Trevor in the smallest text a description: "He came alone to Niue".

"People regularly brought food to their pond (rice, cabbage and cooked cereals that they shared whenever they preferred them were their favorites," he added each time). They were visiting their lawn, "Finlay said.

When the puddle dried up, residents and the local fire department "always came to his aid and filled it While waiting for the rainy season, "said Finlay, Trevor has become a constant until neighbors begin to use it as a reference point for locating directions.

Trevett wrote recalling that during his visit to the island last year, someone asked him to "go back to where the duck was".

Although the titles have placed Trevor as "the loneliest duck in the world," Finlay said the label was not completely accurate. "He was receiving many visitors every day who brought him food, took pictures of him, and took selfies with him," she said, pointing out that the duck also had an affair with him. friendship with a chicken, a rooster and a weka, a type of non-flying bird from the island.

The news of Trevor's untimely death was broadcast on social networks where the locals ventured to tell their stories with Trevor.

The most moving message from the people of Niue was that of Trevor Mallard, spokesperson for the New Zealand Parliament, who wrote on Facebook. "Ah, Trevor will miss you"

In the same way, another person commented, "Thank you for honoring our island for a year, when I brought my children, it gave them a lot of joy."

One more wrote "Fly now Trevor".

Others were angry at Trevor's death, asking "to stop" the dog that had attacked him. "This dog should be put behind bars permanently," A person has indicated on Facebook.

Finlay, who regularly fed and cared for Trevor, said in a message that he was "devastated".

"He will certainly be missed, he will remain in many hearts. The rooster, the chicken and the weka seemed a bit desperate at the dry puddle that Trevor was livingshe concluded.