HAYDEN — Members of Avondale Golf Course frequently enjoy sightings of the local wildlife, from birds to deer to muskrats.
But Dale the duck was special.
For years, the black Cayuga duck was Avondale’s unofficial mascot, beloved by golfers and staff alike.
A group of four people allegedly ran Dale over with a golf cart Friday, killing the duck and devastating the Avondale community who loved it.
“People are broken,” said Avondale employee Tonya Daniels.
Two people who live along the golf course reported witnessing the killing. It was also caught on surveillance video.
The driver of the golf cart reportedly put the cart in neutral and rolled down a steep hill, hitting Dale at speeds of up to 30 mph.
“I don’t understand how somebody could do that,” said Avondale General Manager Jason Jerman.
The driver has been identified, Jerman said, and Avondale has provided photos and other documentation to the Hayden Lake Police Department.
Jerman said he hopes the alleged culprit is punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Animal cruelty is generally a misdemeanor in Idaho, punishable by a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The crime can become a felony if an individual has multiple prior animal cruelty convictions.
Dale was well-known around the golf course.
“He had a bunch of duck friends out here,” Jerman said. “He was just a great duck.”
Dale was unable to fly. Worried the duck wouldn’t survive the winter, Tonya Daniels caught the bird in December, after the pond froze over. She kept the duck in her garage until the spring. Then she returned it to the pond.
“Everybody loved him,” she said. “He would come up to them and everybody would feed him.”
In the wake of Dale’s death, Daniels said Avondale staff and golfers are supporting each other.
“It’s really brought the community together,” she said.
Jerman said Avondale will memorialize Dale.
“We’ll have a little gravesite for him there at the waterfalls,” he said.