Animal Kingdom Escapee in EPCOT?

[PeeplMoovr]

I was in EPCOT today and spotted an Egyptian Goose drinking out of the water near rose gardens adjacent to the Imagination Pavilion. These are pretty rare in Florida, and I know Animal Kingdom has a few. Maybe one got out.

I'm pretty sure the only ones in Florida are escapees from zoos, etc., and they aren't active breeders. Maybe some CMs out there can notify the AK staff that one of their birds flew the coup! :shrug:

Here's the pic my friend took of it today:

And better pics from Allearsnet.com for a close-up of what they look like (credit to them for this pic http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/ak/ak246.jpg ):

 

[jedimaster1227]

I seriously thought I would be reading some sort of headline about a convict hippo escaping to Epcot, but I'm happy to know its just a bird (or is it a duck)?

 

[Zummi Gummi]

I was all set to read about an elephant at Epcot, trying to do his finger scan, then causing a ruckus when he couldn't get a Fast Pass for Soarin'. :ROFLOL:

 

[Mecha Figment]

yes i see them there all the time right over by mexico. if you looked more closely you could have seen the chick they are so ferociously guarding. it's very cute.

 

[Figment82]

Are you talking about my buddy, Mutant Duck (or MD for short?). I try to find him every time I'm back that way in the park. I was watching him today for a while, and the baby Moorhens that are so cute (especially when they run at the ducks).

 

[unkadug]

There is another thread about this from about a week ago here.

It's an Egyptian duck.

here it is:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=213286&highlight=Egyptian+duck

 

[michaelcostella]

Hahaha, maybe they really did escape! Thats funny.

 

[PeeplMoovr]

Hahaha, maybe they really did escape! Thats funny.

I really think it did.

They aren't really known to breed in Florida, so if this one is guarding a chick it is extremely rare from what I understand.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, the only known Egyptian Geese are escaped from zoos or private homes, etc. So this very well could be an Animal Kingdom deserter.

He must've gotten a park-hopper. :lookaroun

 

[WDW Monorail]

I'm sure that it didn't escape. It must be on paid vacation leave.

Anyway, don't AK CMs take head counts of the animals daily? I'm sure that they would know if there was an escapee. How long and how many cars would it have to dodge to get to EPCOT (presuming that it didn't get on a non-stop flight).

 

[The Mom]

We saw one over by the Yacht Club dock this past weekend. I thought it LOOKED like an Egyptian duck (I was a zoo docent many, many years ago) but didn't think there were any in the wild in the US.

This reminds me of the numerous parrot colonies in St Augustine, and elsewhere. They are all escapees. There are lots of former exotic "pets" wandering around Florida.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Geez, now that I think about it I wonder if there are ever escapees from AK. If so, what's the plan of action???

Where we used to live in Louisiana was very near the Tulane Primate / Research Center. It was common for residents in that area to spot escapees. When working for the Sheriff's office we would get calls from the employees at the Primate Center alerting us that there were escapes and we always kept contact info handy to report sightings. LOL! :lol:

 

[hoppypooh]

This reminds me of the numerous parrot colonies in St Augustine, and elsewhere. They are all escapees. There are lots of former exotic "pets" wandering around Florida.

We were at a show yesterday put on by a local sanctuary specializing in the rescue of abandoned and unwanted reptiles. It absolutely blew me away what some people try to keep as pets and then release back into the wild (totally inappropriate Northern Canadian environment) when they find it's too hard to care for them - burmese python? dwarf crocodile?

 

[sbkline]

Aren't the birds that are supposed to be in AK kept in a big old birdhouse thing from which they cannot fly away?

Since ducks and geese tend to come and go as they please, are you sure that these Egyptian Geese didn't just freely choose to hang out at AK, and are able to fly in and out as they desire?

I mean, they may be escappees for zoos, or people's homes, but who's to say that when they escaped, they didn't migrate to the water at AK and fly in and out frequently? :shrug: