An annual duck race fundraiser held Saturday backfired at the tail end as the catch fence broke, sending thousands of bright-yellow plastic ducks downriver in Nevada, KRNV News 4 reports.
The mishap caused a sizeable, undetermined portion of the 20,000 ducks to float down the Truckee River, according to KRNV. The Nevada Humane Society (NHS), an animal welfare organization based in Reno, was reportedly responsible for the duck race fundraiser.
Firefighters, volunteers from Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful and NHS employees spent Sunday and Monday in a huge cleanup effort, according to the outlet. (RELATED: 26 Die After Wind Causes Boat To Capsize: REPORT)
The duck race began at Wingfield Park at 10 a.m., according to the NHS advert for the event, which raised over $160,000. But after the barrier broke, some of the ducks were found downriver at Cottonwood Park, as far as five miles east of Wingfield Park.
NEW: The Nevada Humane Society will be ‘rethinking’ the duck race next year, after thousands of ducks breached a fence and floated down the Truckee River.
Cleanup efforts continued today and ducks were spotted as far east as Cottonwood Park.
My story: https://t.co/tzt2O9j1OJ pic.twitter.com/PvTN1QWk8L
— Ben Margiott (@BenMargiott) August 14, 2023
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) voiced support for NHS’s mission but added that “events with the potential to damage the environment shouldn’t receive city permits to begin with,” according to KRNV. Patrick Donnelly, CBD’s Great River Basin director, tweeted that the accident was “horrible” and that he would not support the duck race fundraiser in the future.
“The ducks are bright, they float, there’s nothing toxic. I’m confident that we will recover every last duck,” NHS CEO Jerleen Bryant told the outlet. The water level and strong currents were to blame for the barrier’s failure to hold the ducks, Bryant added.
“I understand their concern. We are certainly rethinking this portion of the event. We don’t want to ever see this happen again,” Bryant added.