On Sunday afternoon some good folks of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina found themselves at a traffic standstill as a mother duck and her ducklings were crossing a busy highway. 72-year-old Robert Allen Willard was having none of this as he sped up his convertible BMW and intentionally ran over the mother goose and her ducklings, according to a police report.
The impact from the collision killed the mother duck and a number of her ducklings. Paula Rock is an employee at a nearby business and she rushed to the scene right after it happened. She said she was outraged at what is said to have happened but was determined on saving the 5 remaining duckling who were still alive.
She called “The Snake Chaser,” who picked up the ducks and took them to a rehabilitation center where the 2-day-old ducklings (one of them is pictured above) are said to be getting a new start on life. Elizabeth Alfieri and her husband Ken took the ducks in and stated that they had a long way to go to before they’re ready enough to survive on their own.
“These guys lost their mother immediately, so we’re working on teaching them to swim. We’re out here doing everything we can to save them and get them back to the wild and raise them, and it’s just awful.”
At the time of the incident Willard was not arrested but instead was issued a citation for mistreatment of animals, a misdemeanor. Since then, The Smoking Gun reveals that he was served with a criminal summons at his Myrtle Beach condominium.
UPDATE: Willard did not contest the charges… So what was his punishment for willingly running down these ducks? He had to pay a $469 fine.
Photo: WBTW
