If you travel up to the farmyard, you will notice that we have a domesticated Muscovy duck named Scout. He doesn’t quack because Muscovy ducks hiss. Scout is 6 years old and I know this because he and I have been here at the museum the same time. He came as an egg from Keeper Kent. He hatched only a few days before I started working here. When he was little he was actually on display in  Carolina Wildlife in one of the snake exhibits…minus the snake of course. When he was a little bigger we would put him in a kiddie pool and let him swim around, it was kind of cute because he was afraid of the water at first . Eventually, he got big enough where we moved him into the farmyard during the day and he would follow us back to the building at night for safety. Now, Scout lives permanently in the farmyard.He had a brief roommate encounter with the pig, which you can read about here.

Scout has a lot of personality. He has his moments where he will wander around the farmyard before we open and search for bugs quietly. Majority of the time he is “talkative” and can be real moody.  He can be  nippy and likes to jump on ankles holding on with his feet and beak (it really hurts in the summer time).

Here at the museum the keepers love duck for who he is despite the mood he is in. Its just a part of who he is and we accept it.

If you have any questions about Scout, jot them down in the comment section.