Support truly
independent journalism
A viscountess whose beloved pet duck Quackers was killed and dumped into long grass has enlisted the help of hundreds of online sleuths to solve the case of the mystery ‘Duck Strangler’.
Viscountess Hinchingbrooke, also known as Julie Montagu, an American yoga teacher and online wellness guru, said Quackers met his fate when he was attacked by a black and white terrier before the dog’s female owner broke the bird’s neck and tossed its body away.
After putting out an appeal on social media, Montagu, 50, said she has received 2,000 messages and emails. Now, thanks to the online sleuths, she had been sent “a handful” of suspects, according to The Times.
The shocking incident, which was witnessed by a gardener, took place at Mapperton House on the Earl of Sandwich’s estate in West Dorset, England.
The viscountess, who is married to the son of the 11th Earl of Sandwich, said that while they have not involved the police or the RPCA, they do want the “duck strangler” to apologise.
They explained that Quackers, an Indian runner duck, was the leader of a small flock and should have been protected by signs on the estate telling dog walkers to keep their pets on leads at all times.
“It must be somebody local because, number one, they weren’t going to the house and garden as a visitor,” the viscountess said. “She’s clearly coming here on a dog walk.”
After strangling the duck, the woman left without informing any staff on the estate about the incident.
“It’s amazing what this has brought up, all these people trying to find out who the duck strangler is,” the viscountess added.
“We’ve probably been sent a handful of names so far. It’s a work in progress. I think give it a couple more days, and I don’t know, I feel pretty good about this.
“We’ve had people suggesting dogs within the area that have been aggressive terriers, and you know, could this be the one? If we get a photo of the woman and the dog through, we can show that to the gardener who saw her, and hopefully, we can identify her.
“There was obviously some part of her that just thought, well crikey, I’m not going to come clean with this, and so I’m going to throw it in the long grass.”
The viscountess said staff on the estate have also been upset by the death, having grown to love Quackers’ “mischievous scampering” too.
“What we want is an apology and an explanation,” she said. “The ducks are part of the fabric of the estate, and Quackers in particular, because he had been there for ten years and he was the leader of the pack. The other runners were always following him, and they really were the three musketeers, and it’s just quite sad.
“Are we going to get another one? I think the answer is yes, but we want to wait until we hopefully can get some more information about the woman who did this. Hopefully, she will come forward.”
A GoFundMe has now been set up to raise money for a memorial pond to celebrate Quackers’ life.
“We will also plant trees, shrubs and aquatic plants in the pond, alongside a plaque to commemorate Quackers,” wrote organiser Luke Montagu.
“In this way, we hope that her legacy will be the creation of a new wetland habitat which will provide a refuge for wild ducks and other wildlife for decades to come.
“The Quackers Memorial Pond Fund” GoFundMe has raised £380 of its £10,000 target.
