DATE: Tuesday, August 26, 1997              TAG: 9708260376

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARY REID BARROW, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   35 lines

ROUNDUP SENDS BURGER KING QUACKERS TO NEW HOME

A weekend roundup netted 27 Muscovy ducks from the parking lot of the Burger King Restaurant, 524 Laskin Road.

The Muscovys, which took up residence at the restaurant about a year ago, had a population explosion this spring after several females nested in Burger King planter boxes.

The proliferation proved to be too many ducks for the Burger King. The Muscovys were disrupting traffic in the parking lot and at least a dozen ducklings were run over and killed.

On Saturday, a story in The Virginian-Pilot alerted Wildlife Rehabilitator Nan McClain, who called Wildlife Care, a wildlife rescue organization. Wildlife Care members gathered up 17 Muscovys and took them to a new home.

In addition, a ``concerned citizen'' managed to capture nine more, said Clark Elverum, managing director of Virginia Cimms Inc., a Burger King franchisee. ``I hope they're in good homes, more like their habitat.''

On Monday, McClain collected a lone Muscovy duckling that was scooped up by another Burger King customer.

McClain said the Muscovys in that area had been fed by patrons of both Burger King and another nearby restaurant. Feeding only encourages the ducks to stay around, she said.

``If you don't want ducks, don't feed them.'' ILLUSTRATION: A proliferation of Muscovy ducks and their ducklings

proved to be too much for the Burger King on Laskin Road in Virginia

Beach. The ducks, seeking shade under cars, were disrupting traffic

and getting hurt themselves.

File photo

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