Ariadne, the feathered fugitive who has been on the waddle around Port Chalmers for the past three weeks, is finally back behind bars. The Muscovy duck’s owner/warden Noelani Grandona Dawson took to social media to thank the community for taking care of Ariadne by feeding her and taking mug shots to show she was fine. “Ariadne is back home with her sisters. “Thank you so much to our whole community for keeping an eye out for her and trying to catch her these past few weeks. “It’s been a real blessing for my wife and I to know that even though she was on the run, people were still looking out for her while we’ve been away. “I’ve also loved all of her criminal photos that people have taken of her sneaking around.” Ariadne escaped through a hole in the perimeter fence at her Mary St slammer about three weeks ago, while Mrs Grandona Dawson was on holiday. Hundreds of residents put notes and photos on social media, showing where she was and where she was headed. Despite multiple sightings and a handful of attempts at apprehending her, residents on social media said she was “very street savvy” and knew how to evade capture. One Port Chalmers resident said he went to a lot of trouble to try to net Ariadne and he very nearly had her in his grasp. “But it was not having its freedom curtailed and flew into the water looking very smug.” Residents following her progress on social media were delighted to see she had been apprehended unscathed. “This is absolutely awesome news Ariadne. “You have stolen the hearts of many with your antics, but it’s time to stay home now please,” one resident said. Another said they would miss the daily “where’s Ariadne?” sightings on Facebook and another asked if a book was going to be written about her adventures on the run. You never know, so stay tuned. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
