AR-News: (FL - US) State issues permits to kill Mallards

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State Issues Permits To Kill Mallards

By BECKY RICHARDS rrichards at tampatrib.com 
Published: Jun 22, 2004 

TAMPA - Mallard ducklings sold as pets are threatening a unique Florida species. 
Native mottled ducks sometimes mate with captive- reared mallards, diluting the gene pool, state wildlife officials say. 

To prevent cross-breeding, the state is issuing a free permit to kill mallards and destroy nests and eggs found between May 1 and Aug. 30. Migrating mallards generally leave Florida by April for mating season in Canada and the northern United States. Captive-raised ones stay put. 

About 300 permits have been issued statewide, including nine in Hillsborough County, with no reports of activity, state waterfowl biologist Ron Bielefeld said. 

``We're probably talking about a couple of hundred birds every year,'' he said. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also will enact a rule July 1 prohibiting the possession of mallards, without proper permits. 

Each new mallard control permit authorizes the ``lethal take'' of 12,000 mallards and 8,000 nests, including eggs. 

The 12,000 is an estimate of the number of mallards sold annually from Florida's seed and feed stores, said Diane Eggeman, waterfowl management section leader. 

Captive-reared mallards are bred and bought throughout the year, particularly in the spring. They often are released or fly away when grown. 

Under the new rules, a landowner who wants mallards for a pond, for example, needs a game breeder permit and must install a flight pen to keep the mallards away from wild birds, Bielefeld said. 

Tom Mullen, field supervisor for Animal Capture of Florida, has a mallard control permit. He said he receives two calls a year about problem mallards. 

``Someone will start feeding them; then everyone gets rushed who goes out into the back yard,'' he said. 

The permit prohibits blinds, pits, decoys or other devices to lure birds within gun or trap range. 

``You can't set up hunting scenarios,'' Bielefeld said. 

The permit also prohibits trespassing on state, federal or private property. 

Animal Specialty Feeds & Supplies, on U.S. 301 in Riverview, sells about 50 mallards and white Chinese Pekin ducks each spring, said owner JoAnn Mayhall. 

``They're part of farms,'' she said. ``They're pets.'' 

Male mallards are easily recognizable with their shiny green heads. Beyond that, the wings are key to telling the ducks apart. 

Mallards have two broad bars of white feathers on their wings. Mottled ducks do not. 

If the birds aren't flying, it will be necessary to open their wings for proper identification, Bielefeld said. 

``If you don't see the white wing bars, put it down and let it go,'' he said. 

Permit holders, who can be individuals or licensed trappers, are to euthanize mallards using American Veterinary Medical Association methods, including a blow to the head, shooting, decapitation or breaking the neck. The ducks also can be rendered unconscious and then electrocuted. 

The ducks must then be buried or incinerated, donated to a public or scientific institution or to ``food shelves for human consumption.'' 

Bielefeld said some people would argue ``we're saving one thing by killing another. They are not wrong, and we are not right or wrong. This is what we're paid to do.'' 

The commission was formed by law, he said, ``to make sure our native plants and animals stay here. These ducks are under attack by an introduced species.'' 

There are about 40,000 mottled ducks in Florida, which are genetically distinct from similar ducks in other states. 

To apply for a permit online, visit www.wildflorida.org/mallard/ . 


Reporter Becky Richards can be reached at (813) 835-2106.