SAN ANTONIO – If you ask just about any kid, the best part of Heritage Duck Pond Park is easy to guess: the ducks.
“They are the central attraction to Heritage, and that’s why a lot of people come here,” said John Burciaga, president of the Heritage Neighborhood Association.
Ducks have been a Heritage community staple for years, but the growing number of birds at the park has raised safety and health concerns.
“There’s just an overpopulation of turtles and ducks,” Burciaga said. “That adds extra pollutants to this body of water.”
District 4 Councilman Edward Mungia said he’s aware of the overpopulation and pollution, and is working with the Parks and Recreation Department.
KSAT 12 reached out to the San Antonio River Authority about Heritage Duck Pond Park, which said staff visited the park in the past “to observe conditions after concerns were raised about the bird population.”
“During that visit, staff noted visible signs of a heavy bird presence and droppings around the pond area, which contribute to localized water quality concerns, in this case, the presence of excessive algae and low dissolved oxygen levels,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Mungia said what people feed to the ducks is part of the problem. He said giving them human food, like bread, actually does more harm than good.
“Just feed them the food that we have here for them,” Mungia said. “That’s the best thing for them, and it’s the best thing for the pond.”
Mungia said he wants to add bird feeders back to this park and signs about what you should feed the ducks.
The councilman said it’s also possible the city humanely relocates some of the animals here to help with overpopulation.
“We wanna make sure that it’s a safe place for everybody,” Mungia said.
Burciaga said he thinks creating engaging education tools is the way to reach our community, suggesting coloring books as a potential educational method.
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