Indiana city weighs eliminating pond amid health concerns
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) - A northern Indiana city is weighing whether to eliminate a pond at a local park amid public health concerns.
Rum Village Nature Center director Garry Harrington told South Bend's Common Council that Leeper Park's visitors feed the pond's ducks and geese and the birds' droppings pose health and sanitation threats.
He says the pond is "a totally unnatural ecosystem" and the waterfowl cannot fly due to interbreeding.
The South Bend Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/2sXO9pO ) city parks official Aaron Perri says no action is expected on the pond for at least a year. He says none of the waterfowl would be killed if the pond is eliminated.
Officials are consulting with waterfowl rehabilitation centers and the Potawatomi Zoo to take in any ducks or geese unable to survive on their own.
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Information from: South Bend Tribune, http://www.southbendtribune.com