Two giant yellow ducks meant to signify good fortune in Hong Kong ran into bad luck of their own after one was deflated on Saturday to protect it from the heat.
The art installation by Dutch artist Forentijn Hofman, featuring twin 18m (59’) inflatable ducks, was unveiled to the public on Friday.
The exhibition came 10 years after one of Hofman’s air-filled avians first visited the city, with the artist saying the new work would bring “double luck”.
However, organisers had to let the air out of one bird due to high summer temperatures, which reached highs of 33° Celsius (91.4° Fahrenheit) yesterday.
The “rubber duck skin had become strained because the hot weather has caused air pressure to rise”, the organisers said in a statement.
The affected creature was drained of air to “avoid risk” and was pending repair, the organisers said, leaving just one sitting duck in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour.
“It’s a pity. I originally thought I could see two rubber ducks,” said Moon Lam, 72, who came to the harbour wearing rubber duck-themed T-shirt, face mask, earrings and socks.
“We hoped to see two ducks, but it’s also cute that one deflated. Maybe because it’s too hot in Hong Kong,” said Tiffany Chen, 28, a tourist from the northern neighbouring city of Shenzhen.
Hofman’s Rubber Duck series has made appearances in major cities since its 2007 debut, and made headlines in Hong Kong when it arrived in 2013.
That exhibit lasted 13 days before it, too, was deflated.
Hofman, who was inspired by a world map and rubber duck to create his installation, began a world tour starting from the Netherlands in 2007, making stops in harbours from France to Brazil.