Texas town gets the OK to kill ‘invasive’ ducks

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Residents of a Houston suburb have been given the OK to kill Muscovy ducks, which in recent years have become a nuisance for the town.

The City of Pearland, south of Houston, issued a statement on Monday in which it authorized landowners and homeowner associations to “address the ducks as seen fit, and within legal parameters, by the HOA or the landowner.”

Muscovy ducks are native to Mexico, and to Central and South America.  (City of Pearland)

“From the reports that we’ve heard, (the ducks) tend to be aggressive on properties and they push other species out and different things like that,” Pearland spokesman Joshua Lee told KTRK.

Pearland is a bird sanctuary city. But Muscovy ducks – native mostly to Latin America and a small segment of the United States – are not protected, according to the statement.

City officials say residents can kill the invasive birds only if captured on their own property. Per city guidelines, the ducks cannot be kept, consumed, sold, or released in another location.

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Blake Wunder, a Pearland resident cited by KPRC-TV, said he takes no pleasure in killing the ducks, but the problem has just been getting worse.

“There would be 12 ducks at a time going at just my trash,” he said. “Not just at my house, but throughout the neighborhood.”

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He said he bought a BB rifle after consulting with the city attorney and police chief.

“I started a couple of years ago using a BB gun to try to eliminate them myself while they’re actually at my trash at my property,” he said.