This Article is From Jun 10, 2023

In Pics: Hong Kong's Giant Rubber Duck Deflated Due To Intense Heat

One of two giant rubber ducks anchored in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour deflated on Saturday, to the disappointment of residents.

In Pics: Hong Kong's Giant Rubber Duck Deflated Due To Intense Heat

The yellow ducks are 18 metres high.

The Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's installation of two enormous inflated rubber ducks in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour for his "Double Ducks" exhibition met with heat and bad luck when one of them was deflated to protect it from the intense heat.

The two yellow ducks were 18 metres (59 feet) high, and they were placed to sail on the harbour for two weeks.

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The exhibition came a decade after one of Hofman's air-filled avians first visited the Chinese city. According to Mr. Hofman, his pair of ducks represent "twice the fun, double the happiness" and bring new excitement to Hong Kong.

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But organisers had to let the air out of one bird due to high summer temperatures, which on Saturday reached highs of 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

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The "rubber duck skin had become strained because the hot weather has caused air pressure to rise", the organisers said in a statement.

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The affected creature was drained of air to "avoid risk" and was pending repair, organisers said, leaving just one sitting duck in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour.

“It's a pity. I originally thought I could see two rubber ducks,” said Moon Lam, 72, who came to the harbour wearing rubber duck-themed t-shirt, face mask, earrings and socks.

Hofman's Rubber Duck series has made appearances in major cities since its 2007 debut, and made headlines in Hong Kong when it arrived in 2013.

That exhibit lasted 13 days before it, too, was deflated.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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