Owner bereft after state takes away her pet duck

In the state of Washington, you can eat as much roasted duck as you please.

You can shoot the occasional duck, provided you follow certain rules.

But you can't possess a wild duck — a fact that Diane Erdmann didn't fully grasp until two state Fish and Wildlife officers showed up at her Auburn workplace Friday demanding her pet duck Gooey.

What ensued that afternoon was a bizarre altercation, the seizure of Gooey the duck and two separate criminal investigations. Fish and Wildlife is looking into Erdmann for unlawful possession of wildlife, and the Auburn Police Department is investigating the officers, one of whom allegedly struck Erdmann as he snatched the duck away from her.

Erdmann supplied police with security-camera video, which she said proves her case.

But state Fish and Wildlife officials insist the officers were only doing their job. Nonetheless, they're looking into Erdmann's claims to determine whether the officers may have been overzealous.

One thing is clear: just about everyone at Northwest Territorial Mint, where Erdmann is a manager, had grown attached to Gooey.

"It's a very spoiled little duck," said company owner Ross B. Hansen.

Erdmann had gotten Gooey from a friend 11 weeks ago, after the duckling had been injured by a crow, she said. An animal lover since childhood, she feared he would die. She bought a book on raising ducks, explaining that she ignored the last two chapters, which were about "butchering and recipes."

Erdmann kept Gooey under heat lamps, feeding him chicken food and vitamin supplements until he was back in shape. She found a Web site that sold custom-made duck diapers and had a pair fitted for Gooey. And she brought him to work every day.

"People went out of their way to see Gooey," she said. "They would ask how he was doing, saying, 'my, hasn't he grown.' "

Erdmann watched as Gooey had his first solo flight on July 26. She even had a commemorative coin made at Northwest Territorial for the occasion.

Life for Gooey was good.

That all changed when the officers showed up in the lobby asking for Erdmann.

Kristin Donovan, assistant to the president, heard the commotion.

"I heard a very loud, very booming, very aggressive-type voice," she recalled. "He said, 'give me the duck.' I heard a pause, then, 'If you don't give me the duck, I'm going to arrest you.' "

Arrest? Donovan scrambled to call Hansen, who was out of the office but said he'd race back to help. Meanwhile, Hansen gave very clear orders: No search warrant, no duck.

The officers didn't see it that way.

"It's a situation that we run across every year," explained Fish and Wildlife Capt. Bill Hebner. "People find sick or injured wildlife they believe to be orphaned and they take it into captivity and make pets out of them.

"The agency does not support that concept. We believe wildlife is wildlife and pets are pets and there's a strong distinction between the two."

Under certain circumstances, people can possess wildlife, but they need a permit and must meet other requirements.

When Erdmann declined to hand Gooey over, she said the officers became more stern. One of them showed her his handcuffs. As she cradled Gooey in her arms, the other one lunged at her and grabbed the duck, striking Erdmann on the chest, she said.

Erdmann filed a complaint with Auburn police, who said they would forward their report to the city prosecutor to decide whether charges should be filed.

Meanwhile, Erdmann and her colleagues are still stunned by how ridiculous it all seems.

"There are a million ducks in Washington," Hansen said. "It's not like this is an endangered duck."

And Gooey? A spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife said he is alive and well and living in a rehabilitation center, the location of which will not be disclosed.

After all, Hebner said, the center might not want the attention.

Maureen O'Hagan: 206-464-2562 or mohagan@seattletimes.com