Oh dear Nanny has got her knickers in a right old twist over the very harmless habit of feeding the ducks.
Now we all know that to eat, or roll around in duck shit is probably a bad idea. It is fair to say that even the most mentally challenged of us could have worked that out for themselves.
Unfortunately, for the ducks, Nanny doesn't think we are that bright. As such Oakley and Deane Parish Council have banned the feeding of ducks in the local pond.
Oakley and Deane Parish Council chairman Councillor John Strawbridge said:
"The pond has always been popular with locals
and an attractive feature of Oakley.
We don't want to be killjoys and we'd like
to encourage people to carry on enjoying it,
but feeding the ducks puts a strain on its entire eco-system".
He then went on to fret about the bread being bad for the ducks.
Oakley and Deane Parish Council admit that they have little proof to back up their ban. Indeed, common sense would dictate that if ducks didn't like the bread, then they wouldn't eat it.
Hilary Box, 75, who had a contract for 22 years to feed the ducks, thinks the whole idea is bollocks.
Quote:
"The sign says that feeding bread to ducks
can be bad for them but I think we have the
healthiest ducks in the world.
The bread does not appear to have done
them any harm and they haven't suffered over the years.
Feeding ducks is part of the English way of life,
it's part of the heritage to come to the local
pond with some bread. "
For fark's sake, it's a 400 year old village pond with a few ducks!
Doubtless it has been there longer, without causing any harm, than those on the Parish Council.
Another fine example of a useless interfering council, that adds zero value to people's lives.
Someone should ban the feeding of local councillors!
No doubt if one illegally feeds the ducks, one would be subject to a fine.....Kerching.
ReplyDeleteYet another nice little earner for the council and another load of public sector jobs created....2 duck feeding control wardens...one supervisor....one manager....management consultants...'Elf n safety officers as feeding ducks has risks attached, one might enjoy it and crack ones face smiling.
I think Nanny has gone mad and needs to be sectioned...we need to stop feeding her delusions now!!
As someone who has kept ducks (very nice eggs, good for making the kind of cakes that make Nanny get her knickers in a horrified knot) I can say it all depends on the bread you fling at them. White processed bread is not that great for their digestive systems, it's even worse for swans. A bit of stale wholemeal, absolutely fine.
ReplyDeleteOh and if Nanny bans the feeding after it has been happening for such a long time she might find some drastic changes to the eco-system as our feathered friends 'Duck off' so to speak.
I used to live near this location from about 1954 to around 1963, and remember the pond well. Of course, in those days, local politicians weren't such killjoys or interfering jobsworths, or so it seemed. In any case, if it is such a terrible thing to do to feed bread to ducks, why have we not heard about the risks in such behaviour from the RSPCA or other animal welfare organisations?
ReplyDelete