Trevor (died January 2019) was a mallard duck[1] that arrived in Niue, a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand, in January 2018.[2]
| Species | Anas platyrhynchos (mallard) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Died | January 2019 |
| Nation from | Niue |
| Known for | Unexplained arrival |
| Named after | Trevor Mallard |
Life
editTrevor began receiving media attention when The New Zealand Herald journalist Claire Trevett encountered the duck on a visit to Niue in September 2018 and reported on his appearance,[3] at which point Trevor's story gained coverage from worldwide news sources.[4] Mallard ducks are not endemic to Niue, and the country's habitat is not suitable for them, as Niue lacks any surface fresh water.[5][6][3] Commentators hypothesised that he was either blown off course by a storm[4] or stowed away on a ship,[7] as the distances from Australia and New Zealand are too great for the duck to have flown under his own effort.[8] Hundreds of miles from any known duck habitat and without a mate, he was known as "the world's loneliest duck",[7] although accompanied by a rooster, a chicken and a weka.[2] Trevor lived in a roadside puddle as a local celebrity, which was refilled by the Niue Fire Service and locals when it began to dry out.[7] The Foreign Minister of New Zealand arranged for veterinarians from Auckland to assist Niue's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in caring for the duck.[9]
Trevor was named after Trevor Mallard, speaker of the New Zealand Parliament.[8]
Death
editOn January 23, 2019, a Facebook page named after Trevor expressed dismay that Trevor had not been seen in his regular habitat.[10] Two days later, on January 25, a follow-up post confirmed that Trevor had been "seen dead in the bush after being attacked by dogs".[11] Trevor was mourned locally and Niue received condolences from around the world, including from his namesake politician[4] and media outlets including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation[2], BBC[12], New York Times[4], and the New Zealand Herald[13].
See also
edit- Bird migration – Seasonal movement of birds
- Jade – Individual New Zealand sea lion
References
edit- ^ Maynard, Roger (10 September 2018). "Lonely duck blows in to remote Pacific island of Nuie". The Times. Archived from the original on 10 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Weedon, Alan (27 January 2019). "Niue says goodbye to its famous solitary duck, Trevor". ABC News. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024.
- ^ a b Trevett, Claire (5 September 2018). "The sorry tale of Niue's only duck". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d Victor, Daniel (29 January 2019). "'World's loneliest duck' dies on tiny Pacific island that loved him". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019.
- ^ Wheeler, Christopher; Aharon, Paul (2004). "Geology and hydrogeology of Niue". In Vacher, H. Leonard; Quinn, Terrence M. (eds.). Geology and Hydrogeology of Carbonate Islands. Developments in Sedimentology. Vol. 54. pp. 537–564. doi:10.1016/S0070-4571(04)80039-6. OCLC 1162020033. OL 16971143W.
- ^ Parks, Clint (9 October 2024). "Niue's fight to sustain itself". National Geographic. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024.
- ^ a b c Beldi, Lauren (6 September 2018). "Trevor is 'the world's loneliest duck', and now he's facing a housing crisis". ABC News. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018.
- ^ a b Lyons, Kate (7 September 2018). "Trevor the lonely duck gets tiny island of Niue in a flap". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018.
- ^ Peters, Winston (17 January 2019). "RE: 1862". Letter to Heather Hastie. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022 – via Jerry Coyne.
- ^ Butler, Gavin (29 January 2019). "Trevor, the world's loneliest duck, is dead". Vice. Archived from the original on 15 November 2024.
- ^ Chiu, Allyson (29 January 2019). "'Fly on, Trevor': Pacific island mourns death of the 'world's loneliest duck'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019.
- ^ "Trevor the Duck: Niue mourns 'world's loneliest duck'". BBC. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "Niue island's only duck, Trevor, has 'celebrity' life cut short by dog". The New Zealand Herald. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
External links
edit- Trevor the Duck on Facebook: page where the duck's death was announced