SOUTHWEST RANCHES, Fla. — Davie police released new details Tuesday in an incident report obtained by Local 10 News involving the deaths of several Muscovy ducks in Southwest Ranches.
Officers responded Sunday to the 6700 block of Hancock Road after a report of deceased ducks.
A resident told police a neighbor had reported seeing two to three occupants in a gray pickup truck driving through the Sunshine Ranches community and shooting at Muscovy ducks from the vehicle.
Police said the resident later found one Muscovy duck still alive and bleeding on public property near Southwest 136th Avenue and transported it to Hancock Road, where police found about six additional ducks dead in a public canal.
They said the resident did not witness the ducks being shot and had no video of the incident but said she was willing to testify.
Investigators reviewed license plate reader images of a gray 2021 Dodge Ram pickup seen in the area around the time of the report, but police said there was no evidence linking the vehicle or its occupants to the deaths.
After consulting with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, officers determined no crime had been committed. Police said Muscovy ducks are considered an invasive species in Florida and may be humanely killed on public property.
The ducks were properly disposed of, and the case was documented with no charges filed, police said.
Local 10 News spoke with neighbors who were outraged about what happened.
“They have a right to live just like we all do and it would be different if they attacked someone,” one neighbor said.
Savannah Hodgers, a volunteer with Zen Haven Rescue, called the killings “just awful” and committed by “someone who has no heart at all.”
“That was definitely not a humane way to euthanize them at all,” Hodgers said. “If they were causing a nuisance to anybody, we would have happily taken them in as we always do.”
The incident comes as Broward County communities remain sensitive to wildlife-related cases.
Earlier this week, Cooper City officials announced new fencing, signage and access restrictions near a wildlife sanctuary, one year after deputies said a group of teens riding an all-terrain vehicle ran dozens of Egyptian geese off a road, killing about 30 of them. That case remains unsolved, despite clear images released by investigators and an $8,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Anyone with information in that case is urged to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
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