Comment on FR Doc # N/A

Muscovy ducks have been domesticated since the 1500s. They have a long history as livestock, pets and show birds in the U.S. and around the world. While I appreciate your willingness to amend CFR 21.54, your amendment negatively affects a large percentage of Muscovy duck owners (perhaps the majority) by not permitting them to be maintained as personal pets or as domesticated dwellers of ponds and lakes in parks and communities across the nation. Yes, some ducks are given away as prizes (yes, this should be outlawed) and a very small percentage of pet ducks are released to the wild, not unlike pet cats. There are numerous feral cat populations around the country, but no one has insisted that pet cat ownership be made illegal because of a few irresponsible pet cat owners. I propose that pet Muscovy duck ownership be permitted, perhaps with required banding or chipping. The feral Muscovy population is not a problem across the US on every pond and lake. This is a local problem, mostly in specific pockets within Florida (and a few communities in other states as well). Local problems should be dealt with locally and not with a federal blanket law such as this that makes Muscovy ownership by communities with lakes and ponds across the entire country illegal. Many people in this country choose to live in communities with bodies of water and visit parks with ponds and lakes because they enjoy and appreciate the domesticated ducks (mostly Muscovies) and geese that live on them. I propose that you permit domesticated Muscovy duck populations to continue to live on public and private lakes and ponds, perhaps with required banding. It is not unfeasible for local agencies to catch, band and release these ducks. I do not support their being pinioned as that would make them vulnerable to predators. Please don’t punish the 99.99% of responsible Muscovy duck pet owners and the great number of people who enjoy having and watching these ducks on ponds and lakes across the US.