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TAIPEI, Taiwan — New Year’s Eve celebrations often involve dramatic displays, but the accidental explosion of a giant yellow duck in Taiwan will likely go down as one of the most unusual ever.
As reported by The Telegraph, the 59-foot-tall duck was brought to the Taiwanese city’s port to be an integral part of the local New Year celebration. But hours before the celebration could commence, the duck burst and crumpled into the water.
"We want to apologize to the fans of the yellow rubber duck,” event organizer Huang Jing-tai was quoted as saying. “The weather is fine today and we haven't found the cause of the problem.”
This is not the duck’s first visit to Taiwan. Created by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman in 2007, it has been displayed in numerous cities around the world. According to Hofman’s website, it is based on the rubber ducky toys beloved by children around the world. The website calls Hofman’s enormous duck a “very positive artistic statement that immediately connects people to their childhood.”
Although the duck has safely appeared in countries like Brazil, Australia and the United States, it has a treacherous relationship with Taiwan. In November, the duck was in the northern part of the country when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck. The resulting power outage caused its air pump to stop working. As crews worked to re-inflate the sagging duck, it burst from the pressure.
In fact, all three Taiwanese cities slated to display the duck in 2013 ran into problems. When the giant bird was in Kaohsiung in September, it had to be deflated and hauled out of the water to protect it from Typhoon Usagi.
Although organizers in Taipei are still trying to determine what caused this latest duck disaster, one eyewitness may have a clue that can solve the mystery. The Telegraph reports that an onlooker saw eagles scratching at the duck with their claws.
There is no word yet on how extensive the duck’s damage is and when it will be repaired. Grant Olsen joined the KSL.com team in 2012. He covers outdoor adventures, product reviews and other interesting things. You can contact him at grantorrin@gmail.com.
