An unusual customer has hatched a home in Vernon’s Walmart.
Hidden amongst the rows of plants in the garden centre, a mother duck is nesting her six eggs.
The webbed customer has been at the store for approximately two weeks, so it’s expected that her new family could hatch very soon.
“It’s got to be any day now,” said Kevin Quist, store manager, of the favoured shelf item – which is not for sale.
“It’s really popular with the small little kids, they all want to come because word is starting to get out that we’ve got our own little family of ducks here in our store,” said Quist. “They’re all really curious to see it.”
The store has put signs up around the duck’s chosen shelf to alert customers not to touch or get too close.
Conservation officers have also been by and advised the store to leave the mother and her eggs until they hatch.
“When the eggs do hatch the conservation officer will come back and gently remove the mother and her little babies and take them off to a safe spot,” said Quist.
Until then: “We are just kind of watching it and keeping it out of harm’s way.”
The duck was first observed flying over the garden centre fence and hanging around about two weeks ago.
“She was wandering around here for the longest time,” said Dave Colville, store manager in training.
Then one of the staff members came across the duck nestled between rows of plants on the third shelf of one of the garden racks.
“I think he got hissed at,” said Colville.
Having a resident duck is a first for the Vernon store, which has had its share of unusual customers, from cats to a turtle, but never a mother duck.
Visit www.vernonmorningstar.com for a video of the duck in the garden centre.
