Do not feed the wild animals anywhere within the community.
The Community Rules state that no one should feed any of the wild animals on the property at any time. We request all residents to alert others of this rule if and when they see people feeding them.
The community continues to be overrun with these nuisance ducks. The Muscovy ducks are native to Mexico, Central and South America, and are not native to the US or Florida. The ducks are not only messy, but they tend to breed quickly and multiply; then they overrun an area and chase out the natural duck population that live there. The beautiful Florida ducks will not land or stay in an area overrun and polluted by these messy ducks.
Getting rid of them isn’t as easy as trapping and relocating them because it’s against federal law. The birds are capable of spreading disease and mating with native birds. However, a control order with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allows anyone to “remove or destroy Muscovy ducks … or their nests, or eggs at any time when found.”
The easiest thing any resident or visitor can do is to NOT feed the birds or their cute little ducklings. Another method of slowly decreasing the population is by locating nests and shaking the eggs.
How to shake the eggs: When you locate a nest filled with eggs – shoo the adult ducks away. Be careful as they can sometimes be aggressive. Pick up each egg and shake it vigorously. Place the shaken eggs to one side until all of them have been done. Place them back into the nest. If you just destroy the eggs most ducks will return to lay another hatch. Best to shake them and replace them.
We can control the population this way through attrition. If people continue to feed them and assist their population to grow, we will have no other choice but to pay to have them eliminated.
You can read more about this here at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
