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06/22 13:12 CDT Merlin the duck steals the spotlight at President Sheinbaum's
news briefing
Merlin the duck steals the spotlight at President Sheinbaum's news briefing
MEXICO CITY (AP) --- Wearing the green jersey of Mexico's national soccer team
and a FIFA tie, he waddled into the room ahead of President Claudia Sheinbaum,
took a seat facing reporters and quickly became the star of her Monday morning
news briefing.
Merln the duck --- Mexico's unofficial World Cup mascot --- didn't take any
questions; his owner, Carla Gmez, did that for him.
Gmez, a street vendor who sells water and soft drinks, introduced her family
with pride and determination, presenting them as representative of countless
other working-class Mexicans. "We are the working part" of Mexico, she said.
Sitting beside the lectern, with Merln at the center, were her sons, Carlos,
22, and Cristian, 14, who "doesn't rest after school" and helps her every day
by selling goods and carrying packages.
Merln, he said, is "the boss of our little business. He's the one who follows
behind us, making sure we're working and doing things the right way."
The family takes great care with his diet, feeding him small fish, crickets
and, on Sundays, even a meat taco.
Gmez said she was moved by the way Merln captured the hearts of World Cup
fans.
"It has been the best thing that has happened to us in this life," she said,
though she noted that other ducks the family had owned also became local
celebrities in Mexico City's historic center, including Bruna, who wore tennis
shoes.
Gmez said she believes the family went viral because people saw in them "a
hard-working family, a family that gets up every day to make ends meet."
The president eventually had to cut off questions to move the news conference
along, but not before trying to pet Merln and posing for a photo with the
family.
The scene had barely ended when social media filled with criticism of the
president's decision to welcome the duck while relatives of missing persons ---
who have been demonstrating and seeking a face-to-face meeting with her since
the start of the World Cup --- remained unheard.
Wildlife advocates also warned that the popularity of pets like Merln can have
unintended consequences. In a Facebook post, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Unit
of Pachuca, a city about 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Mexico City,
cautioned that fame can fuel "impulse purchases and abandonment."
"Animals do not need owners for fashion; they need responsible caretakers," the
government-run agency wrote.
Merln, at least, appears to have found them.
___
Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at
https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
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