A pet duck’s naughty antics have won him an army of online fans as he keeps escaping and causing chaos – following kids to school, chasing bin lorries and picking fights with foxes.
Ham, a four-year-old Indian Runner Duck, lives in a pen in the garden of owner Charlotte Taylor-Dugdale’s home in Chorley, Lancs.
The mischievous animal, who was hand-reared by his family, is best friends with Charlotte’s son and even drinks cups of tea.
But Ham can’t seem to resist getting himself into trouble, and his wandering ways have earned him notoriety after his antics were shared online.
Despite Charlotte insisting her house is secure, Ham keeps finding ways to escape.
He has been spotted following children to school and even trying to get into people’s homes during his many bids for freedom.
Charlotte, 30, said: ‘I don’t know how he’s doing it. Our garden is secure. I’ve had the authorities come round and look and it’s secure.
‘When he first went missing, someone put in a local Facebook group “there’s a duck loose on the green”.
‘Now he’s become well-known for it. He knows his own name, he answers to Ham.
‘In Chorley, people love him. I walked to the shop with my daughter the other day and people were like “it’s Ham”. He’s pretty much famous.
‘Sometimes he just comes home, he’ll come home when he’s called. After he’s escaped, he’ll just walk through the front door.’
Charlotte took in Ham and another duck, called Pea, from a breeder in 2018, and the pair quickly became inseparable.
Although the mum and her kids – Riley, 13, Dominic, 11, and Emily, 9 – would take them for walks, Pea wouldn’t venture out without them.
But after Pea passed away in December 2021, Charlotte says Ham began escaping from her garden – possibly in search of his mate.
In his latest five-hour breakout last week, a search party had to be launched before he was eventually found in a shed.
Charlotte added: ‘We named them Pea and Ham as we were having pea and ham soup for tea so me and my mum came up with the names then.
‘Pea was quiet and not as tame but very protective over Ham. When Pea passed away he started looking for her.
‘I’m like his mother duck and it’s like he’s one of the kids. He’s like a little human, he’s got his own personality.
‘Him and my son are best friends, he’ll sit on the couch and cuddle up to the kids.
‘He comes to pick my daughter up from school, they walk home together. He doesn’t need a lead.
‘Sometimes when he’s escaped, he’s been seen at schools. Someone put on Facebook once that he was trying to get into their house.’
The spoiled duck has a salad three times a week and is treated to a constant supply of corn – and reportedly goes mad for Rice Krispies and a brew.
Adorable pictures of him wearing a hand-made scarf in the winter and videos of him sipping brews and wandering around town are loved by his fans online.
The fearless duck has also been known to run down the street after bin lorries, chase cats and dogs and even tackle foxes.
Charlotte added: ‘I put videos of him on TikTok and people love it. I’ve had messages from people in America saying he brightens their day. It’s lovely to know people love him as much as we do.’
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