MACCLENNY, Fla. – Residents of Macclenny are upset about a dozen ducks shot to death.
The ducks lived in a pond in front of the Macclenny Nursing and Rehab Center.
On Thursday, the Baker County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the manager of the facility, who said all the ducks in the pond in front of the building were dead. The manager said the ducks appeared to have been in good health on Wednesday.
The facility told News4Jax on Friday that it has no comment on the situation. But Macclenny resident Blas Rivera had plenty to say, as he brought one of his pet ducks there to live.
“Skirt, he was a white-crested duck, and (Felicia), she was a duff duck,” Rivera said about Skirt and Felicia, the ducks that were gifts for his teenage son’s birthday two years ago. “They grew really fast. We had to give them a place to grow and be with other ducks.”
According to Rivera, the pond outside the Macclenny Nursing and Rehab Center was a perfect place for Skirt, while Felicia was brought to another duck pond.
“We brought him there because it was fenced in. We didn’t want any other animals attacking him. We asked them if we could put them in there two years ago and they said it was fine," Rivera said. "We trusted them with having an area for the ducks to swim and congregate."
Rivera said, from time to time, he and his family would stop by to see Skirt, who would get lots of attention, along with all the other ducks from the residents at the facility.
Rivera described Thursday as a "good day turned into a bad day, because it was sad.” That's when Rivera got the news that the ducks in the pond had been killed.
“It’s sad," he said. "These were our pets."
According to a Sheriff’s Office incident report, 12 ducks were killed. All appeared to have been shot in different areas of their bodies with a small-caliber rifle, the report shows.
“It’s heartless for someone to have done this," Rivera said.
The person or persons responsible for this crime could face a felony charge. The Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are investigating the incident.
Authorities said there could be a reward for any information that leads to an arrest. Anyone with any information on the shooting is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 904-259-2231 or the FWC at 1-888-404-3922.
