Dear Lynn Community,
We have heard the concerns of our fellow staff members and students regarding the removal of the Muscovy ducks from campus.
Please know that we share your concerns and we’re also very disturbed by this news. After concerns were raised about growing unsanitary conditions around our dining facility and multiple attempts to mitigate this issue, we hired a state-licensed contractor in good faith to humanely capture the ducks with the understanding that they would be relocated to other wetland areas.
As soon as we heard the accusations regarding the ducks’ possible fate, we launched an investigation to find out what truly happened to the ducks that were removed.
Upon further inquiry, we have learned this morning that the contractor did relocate some of the ducks, but that most were handed off to third parties, and he does not really know what happened to them. The contractor is no longer cooperating with our investigation. We will never use his services again.
We deeply regret the way this situation was handled and how it has upset many Lynn employees and students alike.
There are a lot of other rumors and assumptions out there, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the facts concerning the decision to remove the ducks.
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The Muscovy ducks on campus were becoming a real health concern and a source of several complaints from many in the Lynn community.
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Their excrement was all around the lake-side patio and other areas of campus. The excrement’s proximity to dining areas were creating unsanitary conditions. Excrement could easily be found on chairs and tables.
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Much of this occurred because staff and students were feeding the ducks during lunch.
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Several attempts were made to curb the number of ducks that came to be fed. They included the placement of signs asking people to not feed the ducks and installing mock ups of predatory birds such as owls. These efforts did not succeed.
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Our staff made a concentrated effort to continually clean the excrement, but they were unable to keep up with the amounts produced by the quickly growing number of Muscovys.
If we had any idea that the contractor would not relocate all the ducks to a safe area, we would never have done business with him. Destruction of any wildlife is antithetical to our many efforts to maintain a sustainable, green campus.
We share our community’s concern and sorrow about the possible destruction of these animals.