The remote Pacific atoll of Niue, a three and a half hour flight from Auckland, has a population of 1,600 humans and, as of early this year, one duck.
The arrival of the lone bird has surprised and delighted locals.
He has been christened Trevor, after the the Speaker of the House of Representatives in New Zealand, Trevor Mallard.
The duck has since become something of a national celebrity – tourists visit to take pictures, locals drop by with food and volunteers top up the puddle that Trevor lives in.
“Everyone’s familiar with Trevor,” said Kirk Yates, the New Zealand high commissioner in Niue. However, no one knows where the duck came from or how it got there.
“There’s a lot of
contention about that, no one’s actually sure about it,” said Felicity Bollen, chief executive officer of Niue Tourism. One popular theory is that he flew from New Zealand.
“No one could believe it could fly that far,” she said. “There’s other conjecture that it could have stowed away on a yacht, but I think it’s less likely. It’s part of the mystery.”
Given that Niue lacks the wetlands and ponds that are the bird’s typical habitat, Trevor has had to make do with a puddle alongside
a track near the...
READ MORE
