WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials bolstered security on Thursday for a duck nursing eggs near the White House to protect her from demonstrators at a global economic summit beginning on Friday.
Officials are concerned protesters could disturb the mallard hen, who is incubating what officials say are nine eggs at the foot of a tree on the sidewalk in front of the Treasury Department and next door to the presidential residence.
"We are widening the perimeter around the duck as a precautionary measure," Treasury spokesman Rob Nichols said.
The waterfowl, who may now be one of the best-protected birds on the planet, laid her eggs on top if a mound of mulch at the foot of a freshly planted sapling over the weekend of April 2-3. Her ducklings are expected to hatch the week of April 25-29.
Meanwhile, groups protesting the meetings of members of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the Group of Seven major industrial nations have scheduled a Friday rally at an intersection, yards from the bird.
Some demonstrations at economic summits in recent years have turned into violent confrontations between police and protesters. Tens of thousands of anti-globalization demonstrators shut down a 1999 international trade ministers meeting in Seattle, and protests disrupted World Bank-IMF meetings in Washington in 2000.
But demonstrations at gatherings of world economic policy makers have dwindled in size and rowdiness since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and security has tightened. Organizers said protesters were likely to number in the hundreds this weekend.
Even so, workers on Thursday afternoon erected a second line of metal crowd-control barriers about 10 feet outside stanchions already in place to keep gawkers at arm's length from the duck.
The bird spends her days nibbling mulch around her, dozing in the spring sunshine, or feathering her nest. Every evening at dusk, she covers her eggs and leaves for about 15 minutes to feed, a Treasury official said.
Decision-making about the duck's safety was closely guarded.
"We don't comment on security matters," Nichols said.
Reports suggest Bush is asking Congress for a 21 billions dollar budget for "duck related defences".
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"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."
