Floods sweep away more than 20,000 ducks in Hubei, sparking cross-regional search

(ECNS) -- More than 20,000 ducks raised by a farmer in central China's Hubei Province were swept away by floodwaters from the Fuhe River last Tuesday after heavy rainfall, prompting a cross-regional search involving residents, patrol teams, police and firefighters.

The ducks belonged to Huang Shengli, a 55-year-old farmer in Wuhan. The sudden flood not only washed away his nearly market-ready flock but also trapped him in the water.

"I've been raising ducks for over 20 years and have never seen this. The flood surged down like a tidal wave. I tried to save my ducks but ended up stranded," Huang recalled.

He was rescued around 9 a.m. Tuesday by firefighters, police and villagers. Of his 30,000 ducks, more than 20,000 were swept away. Huang estimated a loss of more than 700,000 yuan (about $103,000), with each duck valued at about 35 yuan.

News of the missing flock quickly spread online, drawing nationwide attention. Volunteers have searched riverbanks along the Fuhe and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. More than 2,000 ducks have been recovered, partly offsetting Huang's losses.

Despite falling ill with a fever from exhaustion and stress, Huang has continued answering calls from kind-hearted people offering information. "I've received so many calls these past two days from people returning ducks or providing leads. I truly thank them all," he said.

To expand the search, the Changjiang Conservation Foundation coordinated patrol teams from downstream provinces including Anhui, Jiangxi and Jiangsu.

"We usually carry binoculars to monitor finless porpoises and river conditions, and now we're also keeping an eye out for the ducks," a patrol member said.

As of Saturday, the batch of lost spotted ducks had been drifting in the Yangtze River basin for four days.

On Friday, a resident spotted a group of suspected missing ducks in the Zhujiahe River area of Wuhan's Changjiang New Area and captured footage with a drone. Later that day, about 360 kilometers away in Chizhou, Anhui Province, a patrol team discovered a solitary duck believed to have drifted downstream.

Authorities said the search is ongoing and urged the public to report sightings to police or directly to Huang.

Heavy rainfall pushed the Fuhe River well above the alert level, and farmers in nearby cities including Anlu and Xiaogan also reported poultry losses.

(By Zhang Dongfang)