Alberta Ducks Update

The incident in which 500 ducks died in an oil waste pond is still under investigation. Of the hundreds of oiled ducks, only five survived the initial landing. Of those five, three have since died. In the meantime, another oiled duck was found by a hunter far away from the tailings pond.

On Tuesday evening, native hunter Roland Campbell discovered an oil-coated duck in Wood Buffalo Park, about 250 kilometres away from the tailings pond.

Campbell said he was shocked when he went to prepare a duck for his dinner.

"I assumed it was mud when I first killed it, it was covered in oil," he said.

"I took a better look at this duck and that's when I noticed he was all full of tar on his stomach and feet."

Campbell gave the duck to Environment Canada's office in Fort Chipewyan. Federal park rangers are out searching for other contaminated birds in the area.

The oil on the bird will be tested and compared with samples taken from the tailings pond belonging to Syncrude Canada.

The finding may indicate that other oiled ducks have yet to be found.