German news magazine, Der Spiegel, features the story of a 15-year unplanned migration of a different type. Navigating the treacherous waters of the Pacific in 1992, a container ship from Hong Kong bound for Tacoma, WA. lost some of its precious cargo: 29,000 rubber ducks, frogs and plastic turtles were dumped into the ocean. These “refugees” have since been travelling the world – two thirds drifted South and were found off the coasts of Australia, Indonesia and South America. Around 10,000 drifted north through the Bering Sea toward Alaska while a few made it all the way down to Maine and Massachusetts. Despite their odysee, the plastic critters could be linked to that orginal high sea spill – while the ducks found off of the coast of New England in 2000 were not as yellow as they once were, their production stamp clearly identified them as belonging to the original shipment.
In 2003, a number of ducks were spotted in Scotland, which leads Oceanographers to believe that the so-called “friendly floatees” will reach the English coast this summer. And it seems the toy manufacturer is taking a few tips from leading politicians on how best to repatriate migrants: he is offering a fifty pound reward for each plastic animal returned. These migrants will likely be greeted with open arms..
