Photo: Rolf Liechti / NZ Herald
Only a few days ago, New Zealand cops were being praised online for using on their lights and sirens to escort a bunch of ducks and ducklings to safety, across a busy road. That was an exception, as it turns out.
Queenstown resident Rolf Liechti is mad that local cops are refusing to pursue a case where the driver of a 1996 Subaru Legacy knowingly ran over a bunch of ducklings and their mother, even though he provided them with surveillance footage of the incident. So he’s taking it to the media, telling the NZ Herald that he’s sickened such a heartless gesture could go unpunished.
The video in question is available at the link. It shows a family of 2 adult ducks and their ducklings on the footpath, before trying to cross the road. After a couple of failed attempts and nearly being hit by oncoming cars, a woman in a purple raincoat steps in and tries to guide traffic to offer the ducks safe passage.
When they get to the middle lane, the woman retreats to the footpath, which is when the Subaru comes in the frame. The woman realizes the driver is going at too high a speed and she’s signaling at him to stop. Not only does he not slow down or stop as other drivers did, but he plows through the ducks, killing one adult and at least one duckling. The woman is seen lifting her hands to her face in shock, as the Subaru drives away.
According to Liechti, he called the cops the second he saw the footage, to report reckless driving on part of the driver and to inform them that the incident had happened in an area close to a school. He never heard back from them.
“The mother and one of the ducklings were killed so that means they're all dead now, probably,” he says. “Right behind [the car] you can see there's a school sign, ‘Slow for Children,’ and you can see the woman is right out in the road in her big purple coat... it was obvious.”
“Whenever we see them [ducks] we always stop the traffic and help them across the road... everyone does... because they go across the road to the creek,” the man continues.
Everyone stops, except for this driver. From the video, it’s obvious that he saw the ducks and the woman but is intent on running them over, and he does just that.
Despite providing the cops with evidence, Queenstown police chose not to pursue the matter. In a statement to the media outlet, they say the caller provided no information that an offense had been committed or someone injured. So Liechti went to the media, instead.
The video in question is available at the link. It shows a family of 2 adult ducks and their ducklings on the footpath, before trying to cross the road. After a couple of failed attempts and nearly being hit by oncoming cars, a woman in a purple raincoat steps in and tries to guide traffic to offer the ducks safe passage.
When they get to the middle lane, the woman retreats to the footpath, which is when the Subaru comes in the frame. The woman realizes the driver is going at too high a speed and she’s signaling at him to stop. Not only does he not slow down or stop as other drivers did, but he plows through the ducks, killing one adult and at least one duckling. The woman is seen lifting her hands to her face in shock, as the Subaru drives away.
According to Liechti, he called the cops the second he saw the footage, to report reckless driving on part of the driver and to inform them that the incident had happened in an area close to a school. He never heard back from them.
“The mother and one of the ducklings were killed so that means they're all dead now, probably,” he says. “Right behind [the car] you can see there's a school sign, ‘Slow for Children,’ and you can see the woman is right out in the road in her big purple coat... it was obvious.”
“Whenever we see them [ducks] we always stop the traffic and help them across the road... everyone does... because they go across the road to the creek,” the man continues.
Everyone stops, except for this driver. From the video, it’s obvious that he saw the ducks and the woman but is intent on running them over, and he does just that.
Despite providing the cops with evidence, Queenstown police chose not to pursue the matter. In a statement to the media outlet, they say the caller provided no information that an offense had been committed or someone injured. So Liechti went to the media, instead.
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