Latest news with #MigratoryBirdTreatyAct
New York Post
5 days ago
- New York Post
Vicious duck described by expert as young ‘punk' terrorizes Florida neighborhood, attacking elderly residents
What the duck?! An aggressive duck has been terrorizing a sleepy Florida neighborhood and attacking its elderly residents — even bloodying one local, according to reports. The federally protected Muscovy duck — who's since been named Jimmy — has chased several people with its wings spread out in attack mode and brazenly bit a resident while he was sleeping on the otherwise quiet street in Cape Coral, according to Fox 4. Advertisement 5 The Muscovy duck chases Fox reporter Bella Line across a street in the South Florida neighborhood. Fox 4 Now/YouTube James Sepulveda was bitten by the vicious waterfowl last week. He has lived in the neighborhood for nearly three decades – but it was the first time a duck has ever drawn blood on his own porch, he told the local station. Advertisement 'I sit on my porch, 7 to 7:30 at this time of the year to catch a sunset, you know, some sun, and I had my eyes closed. All of a sudden, I felt a jab on my hand and it was bleeding,' Sepulveda told Fox 4. The black duck — which is native to Texas and several Latin American countries, but not Florida — was the culprit, he said. Although the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects the breed of duck, Sepulveda said that if it attacks and injures people, it should be shown no mercy. 'They should be gotten rid of,' he said. Advertisement 5 The duck was captured by animal wrangler Mark Quadrozzi before any other attacks. Fox 4 Now/YouTube 5 The black duck is native to Texas and several Latin American countries, but not Florida. Fox 4 Now/YouTube Sepulveda unwrapped his bandage to show the Fox reporter the injury to his hand. During his interview, he also squared off with the duck, which was menacing him on his driveway. 'You want to walk,' Sepulveda asked. 'Walk the other way.' Advertisement At one point, Fox 4 reporter Bella Line needed to run away from the duck as it chased her. 5 Although the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects the breed of duck, if it attacks and injures people, it should be shown no mercy, one resident said. Fox 4 Now/YouTube Sepulveda wasn't the only one outraged by the foul fowl. His neighbor, Richard Guy, also had an encounter with the belligerent bird. 'I stood up and I made some noises, thinking it would go away, duck, you know, next thing I know, its wings come out you know like it's going to attack me,' Guy told Fox 4. Luckily for the local residents, Mark Quadrozzi with 'Remarkable Resques' saved the day. He captured the unruly duck, whom he has named Jimmy, on Wednesday and brought him back to a sanctuary where he can live with other Muscovy ducks, according to the station. 5 The duck was captured and placed in a cage with hay and water. Fox 4 Now/YouTube Advertisement Quadrozzi told Fox 4 that the reason Jimmy was acting out was because he was a young male, 3 to 4 months old, but also because he was most likely raised by humans. 'This is a young male. Yes, that's why he's being such a punk,' Quadrozzi said. 'When you have a duck that wants to actually make physical contact with a person like that…it's kind of a given that it was hand raised by someone,' he added.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rogue Florida Duck Reigns Terror On The Elderly In Quiet Neighborhood
Cape Coral residents are living in fear, not from hurricanes or gators, but from a deranged Florida duck on a rampage. The Muscovy menace has sent one senior to the hospital and continues to stalk others, wings flared and beak ready. With no official help in sight, the neighbors are flapping mad. For nearly 30 years, James Sepulveda has enjoyed peaceful Florida sunsets from his porch. That was until recently, when he found himself face-to-face with an angry, feathered vigilante. 'I sit on my porch from about 7 to 7:30 p.m. this time of year to catch a sunset and get some sun,' Sepulveda told Fox 4 News. 'I had my eyes closed, and all of a sudden, I felt a jab on my hand. It was bleeding.' That jab wasn't from a branch or a bug. Rather, it was a sneak attack from the now-infamous Muscovy duck. Sepulveda, still sporting a bandaged hand, showed news crews the injury and even allowed them inside his home, where the duck was spotted ominously lurking outside his front door like a feathery stalker. 'He's waiting for me,' Sepulveda said, cracking the door open just enough to reveal the black-and-white duck loitering on his property. Richard Guy, another elderly resident of the neighborhood, also fell victim to the feathery fury. His encounter started with a peaceful attempt to de-escalate the situation but ended with him getting attacked by the Florida duck. 'I stood up and made some noises, thinking it would go away,' Guy explained. 'Next thing I know, its wings come out—like it was going to attack me.' Community correspondent Bella Line went to the neighborhood hoping to interview residents about their experiences with the duck. Instead, she found herself the duck's next target. As Line attempted to speak with residents, the duck turned its attention and rage toward her. 'A Muscovy duck has been chasing people who live on this street,' Line reported. 'When they couldn't get the help they needed, they called me—and I saw the duck's rage firsthand.' 'They're actually committing injury to individuals,' Sepulveda added. 'I want to get rid of it.' One would think a rogue duck sending elderly residents to the ER would prompt immediate intervention, but that is not the case. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has a pretty hands-off policy when it comes to Muscovy ducks. 'The FWC does not remove nuisance Muscovy ducks,' reads a statement on their website. 'Removal of ducks can be done by the landowner or by a hired nuisance wildlife trapper with landowner permission.' This means that it is up to the neighborhood to take care of the problem themselves, but the task is not as simple as shooing the bird away with a broom. Muscovy ducks are technically protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a Control Order that allows for legal removal under strict conditions. According to the FWC, approved methods include 'humane methods of live capture,' such as nets or cage traps, or, more controversially, using a firearm on private property during daylight hours, provided it's done with the landowner's permission. For a group of elderly neighbors, none of these options is simple or safe, though they want the duck out of their community. 'They're actually committing injury to individuals,' Sepulveda added. 'I want to get rid of it.' The violent Florida duck is not the first animal to terrorize a community in the state in recent years. In May 2023, at least two people in Luraville, Florida, were hospitalized after being attacked by a feral cat. According to the Suwannee County Sheriff's Office, the victims were reportedly exercising and walking when the attacks occurred. In 2019 wild turkeys terrorized a senior community in Zephyrhills, Florida, chasing golf carts, blocking doorways, and injuring an 81-year-old man who broke his hip. 'It was a coordinated attack,' said victim Jerry Danford. Florida Fish and Wildlife officials suggested 'hazing' the turkeys with umbrellas, hoses, or barking dogs, though such methods were difficult for elderly residents.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reopen Alcatraz? Trump will have to go through tough California laws
As it goes for so many real estate developers here, President Donald Trump's dreams of building in California could get derailed by regulations. On Sunday, the president announced in a social media post that he would direct the Bureau of Prisons and the FBI to rebuild and re-open Alcatraz to 'house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders.' But if Trump is to get his prison, the bureau will have to first pass a number of environmental reviews, including the National Environmental Protection Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act, also known as CEQA. CEQA requires developers to measure how a proposed project might hurt the environment — from wildlife to impacting water resources — and show how it will mitigate those impacts. Often, groups looking to block a project will sue under CEQA, claiming that an agency's environmental report hasn't met the mark. There are a few major environmental hurdles any prison on Alcatraz would have to clear. First, the birds Several species of waterfowl nest on Alcatraz throughout the year. These include the Western gull, cormorants, and the pigeon guillemot, which are legally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Parts of the island are closed during seabird breeding season. Contractors doing rehab work to the historic Alcatraz prison regularly have to pause construction or work around breeding season for these birds, historian John Martini said. Some parts of the island are closed much of the year to the public so the birds can roost. (Even the Escape from Alcatraz triathalon organizers are required to note in their permit that the swim won't have a significant impact on birds.) Alcatraz also has a historic status. The island was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was designated a National Historic Landmark — an even more elusive status — in 1986. The National Historic Preservation Act requires federal agencies to minimize harm to National Historic Landmarks when taking on projects that would impact them. Historic resources are also recognized as part of the environment under CEQA. If the project does receive its environmental clearance, it might not be until Trump is out of office. Consider how long it has taken other Alcatraz projects The National Park Services (NPS) started planning for a new ferry landing on Alcatraz for visitors in 2015. It took nearly two years for NPS to get environmental clearance — in part because the city of Sausalito appealed the project under CEQA, holding the appeal over NPS as leverage to ensure the agency designed it such that new ferries wouldn't increase traffic around downtown Sausalito. It took another few years to get approvals from the city and port of San Francisco. The project is finally set to be complete this winter — a decade later. Even if the project were to pass environmental clearances, a new prison on Alcatraz would be extraordinarily difficult to build, Martini said. 'It's a rock,' he said of the island. 'There's no soil out there. There's no source of fresh water. When they built the prison back in the 1910s they had to bring out everything — huge amounts of water for mixing concrete, let alone what was needed to support the people living on the island.'
Chicago Tribune
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
If Trump really wants to reopen Alcatraz, he'll have to go through California's environmental laws
As it goes for so many real estate developers here, President Donald Trump's dreams of building in California could get derailed by regulations. On Sunday, the president announced in a social media post that he would direct the Bureau of Prisons and the FBI to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz to 'house America's most ruthless and violent Offenders.' But if Trump is to get his prison, the bureau will have to first pass a number of environmental reviews, including the National Environmental Protection Act, and the California Environmental Quality Act, also known as CEQA. CEQA requires developers to measure how a proposed project might hurt the environment — from wildlife to impacting water resources — and show how it will mitigate those impacts. Often, groups looking to block a project will sue under CEQA, claiming that an agency's environmental report hasn't met the mark. There are a few major environmental hurdles any prison on Alcatraz would have to clear. First, the birds. Several species of waterfowl nest on Alcatraz throughout the year. These include the Western gull, cormorants, and the pigeon guillemot, which are legally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Parts of the island are closed during seabird breeding season. Contractors doing rehab work to the historic Alcatraz prison regularly have to pause construction or work around breeding season for these birds, historian John Martini said. Some parts of the island are closed much of the year to the public so the birds can roost. (Even the Escape from Alcatraz triathalon organizers are required to note in their permit that the swim won't have a significant impact on birds.) Alcatraz also has historic status. The island was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and was designated a National Historic Landmark — an even more elusive status — in 1986. The National Historic Preservation Act requires federal agencies to minimize harm to National Historic Landmarks when taking on projects that would impact them. Historic resources are also recognized as part of the environment under CEQA. If the project does receive its environmental clearance, it might not be until Trump is out of office. Consider how long other Alcatraz projects have taken. The National Park Service started planning for a new ferry landing on Alcatraz for visitors in 2015. It took nearly two years for NPS to get environmental clearance — in part because the city of Sausalito appealed the project under CEQA, holding the appeal over NPS as leverage to ensure the agency designed it such that new ferries wouldn't increase traffic around downtown Sausalito. It took another few years to get approvals from the city and Port of San Francisco. The project is finally set to be complete this winter — a decade later. Even if the project were to pass environmental clearances, a new prison on Alcatraz would be extraordinarily difficult to build, Martini said. 'It's a rock,' he said of the island. 'There's no soil out there. There's no source of fresh water. When they built the prison back in the 1910s, they had to bring out everything — huge amounts of water for mixing concrete, let alone what was needed to support the people living on the island.' Originally Published:
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Construction project grinds to halt after workers are attacked by predatory birds: 'They were in unwelcome territory'
Construction workers at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas encountered protected birds, spawning a flurry of excitement, according to CBS. The workers were surveying an area before the construction of a helipad when they were attacked by red-tailed hawks. "The hawks were buzzing around them pretty closely and so they moved away," said Chris York, president of the hospital. "They were making sure the contractors knew they were in unwelcome territory." Though populations of this species are healthy, all hawks are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 2023. This status has led to red-tailed hawks elsewhere being rescued from fishing lines by teams of firefighters. Hawks play a vital role in ecosystem balance. As apex predators, they ensure prey species populations remain under control. Without hawk predation, many species could outgrow the environment's ability to support them, leading to a downward spiral in biodiversity. We've seen exactly this dynamic play out with sea otters. Ecological preservation is a big part of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act's mandate, but so are aesthetic, recreational, and economic goals, which includes facilitating hunting. Red-tailed hawks are also important to Indigenous groups, sprouting additional efforts for their protection. As it turns out, the construction workers in Texas were attacked because the birds were protecting eggs. Following the discovery, construction was halted. The eggs were expected to hatch in late April. In the meantime, a livestream was set up, generating a ton of interest. "It's been surprising how much excitement there is," York said, per CBS. "I thought there would be some people who really enjoy this, appreciate it, folks that love nature, that sort of thing, but we've had an overwhelming response of people replying." Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
