Orange County residents said they saw a man shooting and killing ducks Thursday in Waterford Lakes neighborhood.
Channel 9 found out the man was hired by the homeowners association trap them.
But the homeowners association said the man was supposed to be trapping the ducks and taking them to a farm.
Sue Bigsby said she heard a popping noise from her back yard Wednesday at about 5 a.m. and later found out it was a trapper shooting ducks in the lake behind her house.
“I opened up the French door, and I could hear it was outside, and I saw a pickup truck parked across the lake from my house, and there was somebody firing a gun from there,” said Bigsby.
Waterford Lakes Community Association general manager Ken Zook said the HOA hired the trapper to remove Muscovy ducks, because they are a non-native species.
Zook said the ducks were dirty, and it was hard to keep the walking path and the gazebo clean. Zook said it was never in the agreement for the trapper to shoot the ducks.
“Very dangerous for people that walk on the path that live on the path. We could have had property damage, a lot of injuries, really foolish way to handle it,” said Zook.
Zook said the company, Animals Beware in Mount Dora, provided photos of a wildlife facility. The ducks were supposed to be captured, then released to the facility.
Zook said 149 had been relocated and three were shot.
“Were you concerned he was shooting those ducks so close to homes?” asked Channel 9 reporter Julie Salomone.
“Absolutely. It’s interesting he was doing what he can do by law,” said Zook.
Channel 9 reached out to Animals Beware for a comment, but WFTV was disconnected. When Channel 9 called back, Salomone was sent to voicemail.
Cox Media Group
