33 thoughts on “Trevor the Duck is dead”

  2. That is sad. I was talking to a young man today who had just learned that his family’s long time cat-companion had been put down. He was grappling with it, feeling awful, while muttering aloud that it was ‘just a cat, after all’. It brought to mind Paul Simon’s Mother & Child Reunion, which he reported wrote after the passing of his pet dog. This line sums up those feelings well, I think:

    Oh, little darling of mine, I just can’t believe it’s so
    Though it seems strange to say, I never been laid so low
    Such a mysterious way and the course of a lifetime runs
    Over and over again

    1. Everyone copes differently with loss, but if I was to comfort him, I would try to get this “just a cat” out of his head. A cat you loved wasn’t just a cat, it was a living being you were happy to share your life with. Instead of belittling that, I would prefer to cherish the time the two of you had together.

      That said, learning to cope with the death of a beloved animal may prepair a person for the inevitable deaths of beloved people in the future.

  3. Dear Dr. Coyne,

    Loss of an animal we care about is always painful.

    I find it best to celebrate the life that he lived is the best way to remember him. Of course we muct greive for the loss as well. I find to deny the loss is to deny the life.

    Joe

  5. 🙁 Nature is a cruel mistress

    It’s fascinating how we can form emotional attachments to simple animals from across the world.

  11. This is so sad. Many Pacific islands have feral dogs, and that may be the problem here.

    If only the (my) NZ govt had taken up Jerry’s offer to pay for his relocation to NZ (Niue is a NZ territory), Trevor probably would be alive now. The reason they didn’t was disease control – diseases that are in Niue but not in NZ. And, there have never been any protocols designed for bringing live poultry to NZ. I understand that, but I still think something could have been worked out if people had made an effort.

    I’m wondering whether I should write to the minister concerned. He’s the type who will say, “It’s only a duck,” so I’m not sure whether I should. I’d be interested to hear other opinions/ideas.

    1. It is so very sad. It was sad before this, him all alone without other ducks, but he was alive and well as much as he could be there. But thank you so much for your all your efforts in trying to help him, and Professor Ceiling Cat’s generous offer as well. It’s always important to be kind and helpful, even if that kindness doesn’t result in the best outcome. And these little ones, these other animals need kindness and help too sometimes (or a LOT of the time!)

      I understand why the protocols are there too, but I can’t help but wonder if he had been kept in isolation for awhile in NZ (if that isolation wasn’t in an environment completely depressing and stressful for a duck), if he couldn’t be observed and tested for these diseases. I am clueless about avian viruses and diseases, so I don’t know if that is even feasible.

      1. There is an island (Soames Island in Wellington Harbour) that is used to keep farm animals in isolation when importing them. When I worked for the Ministry of Agriculture (over 30 years ago) a friend and colleague used to run the island. It was for animals (usually for breeding) coming from countries with diseases we don’t have. We’re the only country that doesn’t have Foot and Mouth disease, for example. NZ’s disease-free status is extremely important to our economic prosperity for multiple reasons and even one duck could screw it up. As no protocols have been written for the import of live poultry it would be quite an issue to design them to ensure the safety of all animals. Getting it wrong could screw up our entire agricultural industry. So I suspect it’s feasible, but would cost a huge amount to do the research to design the protocol before it even got to the stage of getting Trevor to NZ. The potential problems are worst case scenarios, but no government would be prepared to risk them for one duck (unless there was a huge public outcry probably!).

        1. Thank you for enlightening me to some of the particulars, and the challenges just in terms of safety and caution.

          Trevor’s death is just one of those awful things in life that feels like it could have been prevented. But Trevor’s situation was such an anomaly to begin with, and the citizens of Niue responded to it with great care. It just sucks it ended this way.

  12. Oh no! Terrible news.

    Trevor – he was something of an inspiration, wasn’t he? Boldly going where no mallard had gone before… if I understand…

  16. I believe from his fb that he was hangin at the puddle just recently with a chicken + chicks & a Weka, so I like to think he had quality times. Plus the kindness of his regular human visitors with their treats.

    Not a bad life Trevor. Quack Quack!

  20. Reminds me of the most extraordinary little cat I have ever known (he even stole the heart of my late wife, an ailurophobe), that I referred to earlier on WEIT. Killed by the three huskies next door. He hadn’t even gotten a name yet.

    1. I made a gravestone for a duck once – a friend’s family had a pet duck. I think I carved, ‘A fine duck’ or something like that!

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