Bird Rescue auctions off unusual “Alien in the Duck” X-ray on eBay
On Sunday, May 21, 2006 an adult male mallard was brought to the International Bird Rescue, with what appeared to be a broken wing. Marie Travers, assistant manager of the center, radiographed the mallard and was immediately shocked by what was revealed on the x-ray. A very clear image of what appeared to be the face, or head, of an extraterrestrial alien was in the bird’s stomach.
Read more in the East Bay Times
Bird Rescue staff discussed if an alien life form was either consumed by or trying to communicate with the people of Earth through the duck, because the center is located in an area of California known for its mysterious crop circles.
Karen Benzel, Public Affairs Director for Bird rescue noted that the symmetry of the alien’s face is perfect, with an intense grimace, as if it was in anguish after being eaten. “Since aliens are notoriously short, reports are they are usually no more then 3-feet tall, we initially thought the small proportions of the face meant the duck had consumed a juvenile extraterrestrial being,” Benzel quipped. “We immediately knew this was something we had never seen before in our 35 year history.”
“We’re a 35-year-old organization, and we’ve seen a lot of things — bullets, fish hooks — but this is the first time anything like this has shown up. I don’t know my aliens well, but it looks like one of those with the big eyes and the long fingers.” –Jay Holcomb, quoted in San Francisco Chronicle-SF Gate story “If it quacks like an alien”
But, is it the face or head of an alien? Regrettably, Bird Rescue reports the duck succumbed to its injuries and passed away quickly, quietly, and peacefully after the x-rays were taken, and not from the alien bursting through the duck’s chest in classic gory Hollywood style. Was it an alien channeling through the duck or an anomaly similar to the “Face on Mars,” discovered by the Viking Lander when it orbited the Red Planet in 1976? No one knows.
What is known is the one-of-a-kind x-ray, which measures 17” x 14”, will be sold on eBay along with a certificate of authenticity. All of the proceeds will go towards funding the organiation’s rehabilitation programs. The center is also selling t-shirts with the alien image.
Jay Holcomb, Director of Bird Rescue, states “IBR is a 501c3 non-profit and donations fund our wildlife rehabilitation programs. Our Alien in the Duck X-Ray will surely garner a significant amount of interest, just like the NunBun™, and the Madonna in the Cheese Toast, which sold on eBay for a staggering amount of money.” The auction ended on Sunday, June 4, 2006 at 3 p.m. PST.
A necropsy was done by UC Davis veterinarians and showed the stomach had some grain in it, but no alien.
Update: The X-ray was sold to the GoldenPalace.com for $9,600, made international news. Golden Palace, an online casino, added it to its Museum of Oddities.