A giant inflatable yellow duck measuring about 18 meters suddenly burst on Tuesday under unclear circumstances, leaving the locals, organizers and its designer disappointed. The organizers could not exactly tell what had caused the collapse but speculation is that it was attacked by eagles. One tourist claimed she saw something similar to an eagle scratching the giant duck with its claws.

There is another theory that suggests the duck burst from internal pressure due to heat from the sun after days of cold and rainy conditions. No official cause for the burst has been announced yet. “We haven’t found the cause of the burst. We will carefully examine the duck to determine the cause,” explained Keelung City’s Council Speaker Huang Ching-ta

The duck was designed by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman to remind people to be conscious of each other and the environment. Sadly, giant version of a popular bath toy only lasted only 11 days after arriving in Keelung City Harbor. However, all is not lost for fans as the city has announced that it will  replace the floating art installation as early as Saturday. “We want to apologize to the fans of the yellow rubber duck,” said Ching-ta.

The duck arrived in Taiwan in September and stirred up a craze. It was first docked at Kaohsiung City before being taken to Taoyuan and finally to Keelung where it burst. Other versions of the famous duck have been set up temporarily in such cities as Osaka, Beijing, Sao Paolo, Sydney and Amsterdam.  This is not the first time a similar incident as happened. In 2009 the giant duck met its demise after being stabbed by a vandal in Belgium.

Watch the giant duck explode

Image via YouTube