A few bird watchers discovered a odd looking duck in Cikasuan (七腳川) Hualien. After a bit of research, they’ve concluded it is the rare Laysan duck endemic to Hawaii. If true, this would be the first sighting of its kind in Taiwan. The bird is critically endangered, and rare even in Hawaii. It onced lived all throughout the Hawaiian archipelago, but now can only be found on Laysan Island and two atolls.
By claiming that this is a Laysan duck in Taiwan has sparked heated debate. With the Wild Bird Society of Hualien saying it’s just a regular duck, and those who discovered it claiming it’s an endangered species, so the Bird Society and the county government should do something to protect it. Some local guy even claimed that it is his duck, and if it indeed is a Laysan duck, then raising an endangered animal would land him some jail time, or at least a fine over 300K NTD.
The government is probably mulling how they might be able to exclude these foreign ducks from local habitats and any environmental conservation programs.
Flying over here, stealing vegetation and insects from good, honest, hardworking Taiwanese ducks…
Not to mention stealing all the native female ducks. And you see how they’re only found on one Hawaiian island? Just goes to show they couldn’t make it back in their home country.
