AUDIO: RIPPER, THE TALKING MUSK DUCK
Once upon a time, a musk duck at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve in Australia learned to ‘speak.’ While this talent was actually discovered back in 1987, the story has just come to light when a scientist from Leiden University in the Netherlands was researching the vocal learnings of birds and came across a reference to the 1987 recording. The duck, named Ripper, was recorded sounding like he is saying ‘you bloody fool,’ which is thought to be something his caretaker said a lot. Musk ducks are now listed alongside parrots and mynah birds as a species capable of mimicking human language.
* Yeah, and I bet it could also sing “The Michigan Rag” when no one else was in the room.
* Sounds fun, but there’s another duck that’s making a fortune just saying “AFLAC!!”
* If it’s so damn clever, make it say “Tidbinbilla.”
* In the years since 1987, the duck had learned to say, “Fair dinkum,” “Shrimp on the barbie,” and “What are you doing with that axe? No! Stop! No!! Ack!”
* I’d like this better if he was talking with Donald Duck’s voice.
CLIP: Ripper, the talking musk duck, says “You bloody fool.”
