Hong Kong operator forced to deflate giant duck similar to beloved art installation, after causing a splash
- Authorities order removal of rubber duck, which looks similar to well-known installations by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman
- ‘We thought it was just a fun thing for kayakers to take selfies with,’ says staff member from firm behind removed duck
The rubber figure is co-owned by Sheung Sze Wan Kayak Hire and Green Egg Island Canoe and Kayak Rental in Sheung Sze Wan Village in Sai Kung, the Post learned on Thursday.
But the eight-metre-tall (26-foot) duck was nowhere to be found at the village in the morning. Complaints had been made about the figure, one of the operators said.
“It’s on the news so we have no choice but to deflate the duck. We don’t have a date whether it will be inflated again for our kayakers,” a staff member said anonymously. “It’s not going to be any time soon.”
Another operator said residents were still welcome to rent a kayak and go to Green Egg Island, but the giant duck would no longer be present.
“People from at least 20 government departments came to the village and checked this morning. We thought it was just a fun thing for kayakers to take selfies with, but now everything has gone back to normal,” a staff member said.
The Marine Department said it had discovered an inflatable yellow rubber duck in Sai Kung on Wednesday and immediately issued a notice asking the owners to remove it within a specified time period.
