Thousands of yellow rubber ducks are still floating in the Truckee River after the Nevada Humane Society’s (NHS's) Duck Race on Saturday. The catch fence that was meant to hold them back collapsed, despite Reno firefighters and volunteers lining up to support it.
According to the Humane Society, 20,000 rubber ducks were released. NHS has collected approximately two thirds of those ducks, leaving thousands unaccounted for.
"We have been diligently working since the ducks were released to reclaim them. ... If anyone in the community happens to see large groups of ducks, please let us know where so we can retrieve them. They can either message us with the location or call 775-856-2000 ext 334," wrote NHS CEO Jerleen Bryant.
Monday morning, volunteers with NHS and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office were near the Second Street bridge and the Grand Sierra Resort fishing ducks out of the river.
Community Emergency Response Team volunteer Mary Moore said that when she got the call out to help, she thought, “How fun. That’s right up my alley. I’d love to search for rubber duckies."
"They’ll be easier to locate their color rather than soda bottles and lots of other things that have been in the river for years," she added.
Community members not associated with any volunteer organization have even gotten in on the hunt, mistakenly thinking that there's a reward for the ducks.
Reno local Tino Balderrana took a swim down the Truckee Monday afternoon, scooping them out of the water.
Back on the shoreline, dripping wet, he showed the ducks he'd collected to 2 News and said, “Maybe (there's) something in there. Maybe a surprise. Maybe money. You never know.”
The Nevada Humane Society has not said whether this year's debacle will affect next year's duck race.
According to the City of Reno permitting department, despite losing a significant portion of the rubber ducks, NHS did not violate their special event permit. The duck release has been labeled an "accident," and city staff say they're just glad NHS is taking responsibility for cleanup efforts.
Others think the city should take a harder look at the oversight.
"We fully support the Humane Society and its mission to care for domestic animals. We have serious concerns with any event that results in hundreds of pounds of plastic being dumped into Nevada's most beloved river," wrote Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Events with the potential to damage the environment shouldn't receive city permits to begin with."
