Trevor, the World’s Loneliest Duck, Is Dead

Maybe you remember Trevor, the world’s loneliest duck. He showed up out of nowhere on the Pacific island of Niue last year, became weirdly famous simply because he was the only duck there, and all but broke the small island nation’s tourism industry when he started attracting too many visitors.

Trevor was a national celebrity, with locals regularly bringing him food, making sure his roadside puddle was adequately filled with water, and fretting over the need to introduce a Mrs Trevor to the island. But none of that actually matters now. Because Trevor is dead.

The world’s loneliest duck was mauled to death by dogs. A post published to Trevor’s Facebook page over the weekend confirmed that he’d been seen “dead in the bush”—just two days after another post suggested he was missing from his usual habitat. Condolences from around the world have since flooded the page, with many people lamenting the loss of Niue’s one and only spotted mallard. Even New Zealand politician Trevor Mallard, after whom the duck was named, has sent his commiserations: offering his “Deepest sympathy to the people of Niue from the Parliament of New Zealand.”

Others, meanwhile, are incensed by the fact that Trevor met such a violent and untimely demise—and they’re demanding justice.

“Find out whose dog it was that killed this duck,” wrote one Facebook user, while another declared that “God didn't kill this beautiful duck, a dog did. Yes, find the owner. That's the REAL problem. Some people just don't care, not even for their own pets.”

While no one knows how exactly Trevor ended up on the remote island of Niue, it’s believed that he may have come in on a storm during January of last year.

"It's assumed he came from New Zealand but it is also possible he came from Tonga or another Pacific island," Rae Findlay, chief executive of the Niue Chamber of Commerce and Trevor's social media manager, told the ABC—admitting that it was a "sad time for Niue.”

"[This] was just one of those rare good news stories that touched people," he reflected. "After a year of driving around with a bag of oats always in my car I'll miss my stops on the way to and from work to feed and check on Trevor.”

"He will definitely be missed,” said Rae. “He captured many hearts, and even the rooster, the chicken, and the weka [bird] were looking a little forlorn today wandering around the near-dry puddle."

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