By Heather Hintze
CORVALLIS, Ore.-- Staff at the Chintimini Wildlife Center say it looks like a Civil War prank went too far after someone spray painted a duck orange. "We all think this was obviously some prank done by some Beavers fan who did this as some sort of insult to the Ducks which unfortunately is really awful," says Animal Care Director, Cyndi Leech.
The duck--which is now being called Bill--was found on Thursday before the big game. He was completely covered in orange paint, and his legs were duct taped together.
After a couple days and several baths, traces of orange paint could still be seen on the duck's feathers and bill. Staff, however, say they're worried about the long-term affects the paint could have. "Birds preen, they use their beaks and their mouths to preen their feathers and keep them in good condition so he's ingesting all of that paint. These people were actually careless enough to spray paint it on his face and in his bill, so it got into his airway so we don't know how much of this he actually inhaled into his lungs," says Leech.
Beaver fans say they're disappointed someone would go outside the lines of friendly compeition. "The duck didn't do anything wrong. The duck's not a Duck fan," says Beaver Believer, Max Geiszler.
Staff at Chintimini say Bill will likely have to stay at the center until the spring because the paint stripped off his feathers' protective, oily coating. "He's doing well. He's eating, he's a healthy weight. He is a healthy, healthy bird to start with. So his prognosis is good," says Leech.
The duck was found near Linn-Benton Community College. If you have any information, contact the Albany Police Department.
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