A Prospect Park duck is the latest lake-dweller to suffer from the string of bad luck that animals in the area have been having. According to the watchdogs at Courier-Life, do-gooders Anne-Katrin Titze and Ed Bahlman tried to save a Cayuga duck named Shadow that they believed was shot with a BB gun. After monitoring the duck they noticed it wasn't eating, stayed on the land, and wasn't attempting to flee when they approached him. Bahlman told the paper it seemed like the duck wanted them to take action, and that's exactly what they tried to do.

The duo headed to the lake last Thursday with a net, a get-away car, and grand plans to whisk their webbed friend off to an expert. They were caught net-handed, however, when an Urban Park Ranger spotted their operation in progress. Ranger John Moylett told them, “I know you guys are trying to do a good thing, but you can’t be out here trying to net birds!” Eventually he helped them net the duck, told them what they saw was "just a growth," and suggested they let Mother Nature take course ("If it dies, it’s going to be food for something else!”).

Recently there have been concerns of a cover-up at the park, with some blaming water quality at the lake for some of the animal deaths. Moylett told the paper: “Come on, we’re the Parks Department. What are we hiding—spaceships in Prospect Park lake?” Hmm, sounds like he's trying to tell us something.