Suffolk SPCA Probing Reports That Rare Mandarin Duck Was Killed By A Hunter

STONY BROOK, NY — Reports that the rare Mandarin duck spotted in the Stony Brook area in recent weeks has been killed by a hunter are being probed by the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Chief Roy Gross told Patch Thursday.

A photo of what appears to be a dead Mandarin duck was posted on Patch's Facebook pages for Patchogue and Riverhead in the comment section of a story about the SPCA seeking information about the duck's location so that it could be rescued and taken to a sanctuary. One poster claims the duck was killed two weeks ago, while another last week by an "anonymous hunter" in Stony Brook.

In a phone interview, Gross told Patch that "it appears so" that the photo is of the duck, which has flamboyant plumage causing it stand out from the flock. But, he said, the duck's demise is unconfirmed, and explained that he received a photo of a Mandarin duck, which was snapped on the South Shore in Blue Point on Thursday.

"Are there two of them? I doubt it," he added.

The agency is also looking into the post to confirm that the report is real, and if it is, whether the hunter is licensed or not, as well as whether or not the photo could have been generated by Artificial Intelligence.

The state's Department of Environmental Conservation was notified, according to Gross.

He declined to comment further, pending his receipt of more information.

In a statement, the DEC said it was made aware "of the potential take of the non-native Mandarin duck that was recently seen in the Stony Brook/East Setauket area."

The ducks, which are native to East Asia, are occasionally sighted in the state, most often due to having escaped a domestic enclosure and are typically bred in captivity and kept as pets," according to the agency.

"Based on the information available, there is currently no evidence indicating illegal hunting in this matter," the statement said. "A free-roaming Mandarin duck in New York State would be considered a wild duck, according to DEC hunting regulations. A properly licensed waterfowl hunter is allowed to hunt wild ducks throughout the legally established season and include them in their bag limit."

Duck season is currently open on Long Island and closes on Jan. 25.

News of the possible killing of the animal outraged animal rescuers who advocated for the animal, which they say likely escaped captivity or was released, to be rescued from the wild and placed in a sanctuary where it could live out its life.

John DiLeonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, said the organization's volunteers are devastated by the reports.

"This tragic outcome occurred despite repeated warnings that the duck was unsafe and active efforts by rescuers to secure him and bring him to sanctuary," he said.

The organization had urged birders and wildlife photographers to keep the duck’s location confidential so that a safe rescue could be carried out, but "rescue attempts were repeatedly disrupted, and access was actively impeded," he said.

“This was a completely avoidable tragedy,” he said. “This duck was abandoned, defenseless, and clearly at risk. Instead of allowing rescuers to help him, people treated his presence like entertainment. When humans abandon animals or interfere with rescues, the animals are the ones who pay the ultimate price.”

The duck was spotted chilling out at a neighborhood pond in Stony Brook in November.

It was seen by many as "a lifer" because it's considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch a glimpse.