Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Duck marks last days; lovable bird to be moved, cleaned, deflated Sunday
By Elizabeth Bloom

The mighty duck that has seized Pittsburgh by the beak since it hatched three weeks ago is ready to leave the nest.

The 40-foot Rubber Duck, the brainbird of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman that has been floating in the Allegheny River just off of Point State Park since Sept. 27, will depart at 11 p.m. Sunday, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust said on Friday.

Despite petitions to keep it here, the trust is sticking with its initial plan to remove the Rubber Duck Project this weekend. The artist always intended for it to be a temporary installation, and the limited engagement means interest in the bird will not fade, said Paul Organisak, vice president of programming for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust. The timing also coincides with the Ravens vs. Steelers game Sunday at Heinz Field.

"We love the fact that there's an avian connection with the Ravens," Mr. Organisak said.

After the park closes on Sunday, the trust will move the bird to an undisclosed location, where it will be cleaned -- "It does collect bird droppings," said Mr. Organisak -- dried and deflated. It will be stored in a warehouse on the South Side.

"It came in like a lion. Let's let it go like a lamb," Mr. Organisak said.

The public frenzy over the duck has far exceeded the expectations of the Cultural Trust, which owns the duck and incubated it for the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts. More than a million people have flocked to the Point to visit the inflated bird, according to estimates from the park and local hotels, and 100,000 came for the opening party last month. That makes it the highest attended program in the trust's history, Mr. Organisak said.

For the rest of this article and more, visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette