Eric Anderson is the duck master at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, escorting the famous ducks down red carpets to the fountain each day. The tradition started in the 1930s at the Memphis Peabody Hotel. The ducks live on the third floor in a $100,000 setup.
Every morning, Eric Anderson steps in front of the mirror, slips on his red jacket, adjusts his tie, and goes to work at one of the most unusual jobs in the world.
I have one of the most important jobs in the hotel.
That job starts out by rolling out a red carpet, Another red carpet, and another red carpet. A long Runway for some big time VIPs. A red carpet that must be spotless. That's because hundreds of people are already lining up to catch a glimpse of some famous faces.
We just got here today, but we.
Heard about it, so I don't want to miss it.
We came all the way from Springfield, Illinois to see this event because we heard it was something to see.
Not only something to see, but an event worth recording. Nearly everyone in attendance has a camera. Eric himself has become something of a celebrity, not because he's famous, but because he rubs elbows with the VIPs. And then, the moment everyone is waited for. Eric, the duck master, escorts those famous faces. Ducks arriving by elevator, make their way along the red carpet and into the hotel's fountain. Here they will stay for the day. Duckmaster Eric watches over them.
A duck master primarily is responsible for the care and upkeep and the training of the Peabody ducks.
The Peabody ducks are so famous that the hotel has made them their official logo. Once inside the fountain, the ducks swim, eat, and pose for pictures for hotel visitors. So why in the world would this hotel march ducks in and out of their front lobby? Well, to understand, you gotta go back about 70 years and over to Memphis, Tennessee. It was in the 1930s at the Memphis Peabody Hotel when the manager, who was a big time hunter, decided as a joke to bring live decoy ducks into the hotel fountain. It was an instant hit with the guests. Over the years, they trained the ducks to walking on their own.
A little trivia bit is they actually tried different types of animals. I could have been a turtle master. So they did put turtles in the hotel fountain for a while. And they also put baby alligators in the hotel fountain.
Not a big hit.
Not a big hit.
And the Orlando ducks are a big hit. As evening draws near, another crowd rushes near the red carpet. Duck fans begin to celebrate as the duck master prepares another march. Like clockwork, they make their way down the red carpet, cameras flashing and video cameras recording. Excited guests follow the ducks back to the elevator. So where do the ducks go? Well, here's something most people don't know. As I rode the elevator up, I found the ducks actually live a very, very pampered life. The Peabody ducks live on the third floor of the hotel, and in a $100,000 spot here, they eat, swim, and live the good life.
We have people that saw the ducks as children when they were visiting Memphis, and they're bringing their grandchildren in now. And that's just the really fun part of my job.
And maybe the best part of Eric's job is the fact that he can look in the mirror each and every day and honestly say he is one of the only duck masters in the world. In Orlando, I'm meteorologist Randy Rauch for Tampa Bay's 10News.
