Rebecca Lurie has lived in the Island House Condominiums of Fort Pierce almost 15 years.
“We used to have a community that was teeming with ducks," Lurie said Monday.
Ducks of many varieties once swam in the neighborhood's ponds, but on this particular Monday, there are just a handful spotted.
That’s because Laurie says a trapper recently killed many of the Muscovy ducks that roamed the neighborhood.
"They didn’t discuss anything with any of us that live in here," said Laurie.
Muscovy ducks are not native to South Florida, but they are prolific breeders and populations can grow quickly.
Under state law, these ducks can be taken by use of a firearm on private property during daylight hours with landowner permission.
Lurie says she hopes future roundups don’t involve death, but rather a relocation.
"I”m hoping they can have a better resolution to this and to move the ducks to where they’re not killed.”
A spokeswoman with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says with Muscovy ducks, it’s not so simple.
“We consider Muscovy ducks to beundesirable in the wild because of their potential to spread diseases or interbreed with Florida’s native waterfowl," said Carol Lyn Parrish with FWC.
The only way the ducks can be relocated is if they were donated to a scientific or educational institution where they must be maintained under conditions that would prevent their escape into the wild.
Lurie wants to find a better way to save the ducks.
“They should be able to swim and live freely without the fear of someone taking out a gun and shooting them."
Lurie fears there will be more trapper activity in the coming days. She reached out to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to look into the situation.
The management company for the condo complex did not respond to messages for a comment.
