San Francisco Fights Stigma of an Anti-Duck Agenda

Animal taunting measure would ban the feeding of ducks as well

San Francisco knows no ends to limiting fun in the City.

In an attempt to prevent a relapse of the infamous Dhaliwal experiment at the San Francisco Zoo two Christmases ago, the City introduced legislation to heavily fine stray birds who ignore signs not to taunt zoo animals.

But possibly lost in the mound of legalese is the chance the measure would also make it illegal to feed ducks in parks.

One astute San Francisco Examiner reporter highlights a key line in the the text of the provision that appears to strip the bread crumbs right out of the hands of the elderly:

It shall be unlawful for any person to feed, or offer food or any substance to any animal in any park which is wild by nature and not customarily domesticated in the city and country of San Francisco.

But before conspiracy theorists can even make a quack about an anti-duck agenda in the City, San Francisco has been down this road before.

In 2007 city officials amended a bill intended to prohibit the feeding of the famed parrots of Telegraph Hill to make sure it did not include a ban on feeding ducks. And this week one supervisor did ask if the latest measure would unfairly target ducks. The City did not immediately know the answer.

We're almost more interested to find out if the measure will make it illegal to feed the pigeons around the Transbay Terminal. Or maybe even the homeless who hang out there.
 

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