There’s a carnivorous duck called Ripper at Tidbinbilla’s Sanctuary (which ducklings avoid lest they become lunch), and now Ripper’s officially the world’s oldest musk duck.
At 27, he’s a fine specimen of Australia’s largest duck (and our only duck that’s a carnivore), and he’s also the Sanctuary’s last survivor of the 2003 bushfires.
ACT Parks ranger Scott Ryan described Ripper as a “submarine”, attacking from beneath, grabbing unsuspecting ducklings, drowning them, beating them up and swallowing them whole.
“It’s just another one of those endearing features of why we love musk ducks,” Scott said. “The ducks have sort of cottoned on to avoid Ripper these days”.
While Ripper might be enjoying newfound fame as the world’s oldest musk duck (they normally live for about 20 years), his dad was famous for his potty mouth.
Ripper senior could mimic human voices and a researcher recorded him repeatedly saying “you bloody fool” more than three decades ago (the first documented instance of ducks being able to mimic sounds).
Ripper senior’s foul language (pun intended) could be heard during aggressive mating displays – quite the lady’s man. He was also adept at mimicking the sound of doors closing.
Sadly, Ripper senior perished in the 2003 bushfires and with him, the Sanctuary’s musk duck breeding program (Tidbinbilla was one of the few places in the world that was able to breed musk ducks successfully).
Ripper’s son, “little Ripper”, is not much of a talker though, more the silent broody type.
He spends his time in captivity at the Sanctuary dining on fish, baby turtles, frogs, yabbies, molluscs and the occasional unlucky duckling.
Very few conservation facilities have kept musk ducks long-term, so this second-generation Ripper is invaluable to research.
“Little Ripper flaps his wings and blows his whistle and squirts water because that’s part of their courtship display,” Scott said. “So in the middle of summer he’s busy doing his little courtship display and then just foraging around and harassing the other ducks. No girls have landed in here yet.”
If Ripper sounds a little intimidating, you’re safe on dry land because he’s not the most athletic bird out of water.
“They are a diving duck and they spend most of their time in the water,” Scott said. “They’re really clumsy on land because of the way they’re shaped. Their legs stick out the back as opposed to underneath them, so when they do try and walk on land they sort of slide along like the hull of a boat. They‘re really awkward.”
Happy birthday, you little Ripper.
Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve is open daily from 7:30am to 8pm during daylight saving time. The Sanctuary is a large wetlands ecosystem surrounded by bushland that has been protected by a predator-proof fence for about 40 years, creating a refuge for native animals.
