urbpan | 3:00 snapshot, #73 (Reply)

Mr. Mallard was struck by a car in 1996, resulting in a wing amputation and a life of service as an educational animal. In the short time I've known him he has had three girlfriends, the latest being the giant Rouen duck Donna, recently seen here bullying a frog out of her beloved's beak. We don't know Mr. Mallard's age, as he was an adult when he came into captivity. One of his legs gets lame, especially in the winter--I suspect arthritis, but he otherwise seems to be in good health. It took him a long time to molt into his breeding plumage this year, and it wasn't until I took a look at this snapshot that I realized that his head was finally fully green. Mr. Mallard is by far the most aggressive animal I work with, intimidating even the Canada goose who is many times his size, and eagerly biting human hands stuck into his cage. Fortunately his bill is round.