Tragedy has hit the Pacific island of Niue.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, a local duck famous for being the only inhabitant of his kind was killed by a pack of stray dogs last week, next to the roadside puddle he called home.
Trevor the mallard, named after Trevor Mallard, an MP for New Zealand, arrived mysteriously after a violent storm in January and was able to start a new life on the island, 1,500 miles northeast of where some guess was his previous Kiwi home.
He caught the attention of the press last year, labelled as the ‘world’s loneliest duck’, but, by capturing the hearts of the island’s population, alongside a rooster, a chicken and a weka (a native bird), the title was surely debatable.
The happy mallard was lovingly indulged with rice, oats, and corn, much to the envy of his animal friends, and was such a stable resident that he was even used as a road direction. “Turn right after the duck” became a staple phrase amongst the islanders.
Trevor’s watery abode was also refilled every day by the Government of Niue, but since his death, has been left to go dry.
Doubts were raised about Niue’s suitability for Trevor. With no bodies of water, (the remote island is nicknamed the ‘rock of the Pacific’), some considered shipping him to New Zealand, but unfortunately, the issues of logistics outweighed sentiment.
Nevertheless, Trevor was loved, bringing joy to both the island’s human and animal inhabitants. Trevor Mallard expressed his “deepest sympathy”, whilst Niue’s Chamber of Commerce chief, Ray Findlay, claimed it was a ‘loss for the nation’.
“Fly on,” as many on Twitter said.
Featured image and gallery: Hoang Phan Notebooks were carried from one workshop to another. Writers from different generations sat around tables, sharing manuscripts and listening to each other. Outdoors, small groups strolled along Oxford Road, pausing before buildings steeped in literary history. This was the scene during the Manchester Writing School Summer Festival 2026, held…
Featured image: Katja Ogrin With many sore heads and limbs this morning after the most hardcore day of the festival taking place yesterday, many are recovering from the moshing and pit brutality of the previous day’s antics. As the tradition of a morning movie in the Serpents Lair prevails, the crowd sprawls out onto the plush,…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After an electrifying start to the weekend, with temperatures slowly climbing, many lather themselves in suncream, shed their band shirts and rise from their tents to trek towards the arena. Saturday has big things incoming for the humans of Bloodstock 2026. Some pace themselves for the day and hide from the early…
Featured image: Abbi Draper After a memorable Thursday opener, Bloodstock 2026 opens its gates once again onto the Hallowed Grounds of Catton Park, kicking off day two of its 25th-anniversary celebration of metal. As the sun rises on Catton Park, festivalgoers emerge from their tents to prepare for another day of mayhem. The morning brings…
Leave a reply