MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� Wearing the green jersey of Mexico鈥檚 national soccer team and a FIFA tie, he waddled into the room ahead of , took a seat facing reporters and quickly became the star of her Monday morning news briefing.
鈥� Mexico鈥檚 unofficial mascot 鈥� didn鈥檛 take any questions; his owner, Carla G贸mez, did that for him.
G贸mez, a street vendor who sells water and soft drinks, introduced her family with pride and determination, presenting them as representative of countless other working-class Mexicans. 鈥淲e are the working part鈥� of Mexico, she said.
Sitting beside the lectern, with Merl铆n at the center, were her sons, Carlos, 22, and Cristian, 14, who 鈥渄oesn鈥檛 rest after school鈥� and helps her every day by selling goods and carrying packages.
Merl铆n, he said, is 鈥渢he boss of our little business. He鈥檚 the one who follows behind us, making sure we鈥檙e working and doing things the right way.鈥�
The family takes great care with his diet, feeding him small fish, crickets and, on Sundays, even a meat taco.
G贸mez said she was moved by the way Merl铆n captured the hearts of World Cup fans.
鈥淚t has been the best thing that has happened to us in this life,鈥� she said, though she noted that other ducks the family had owned also became local celebrities in Mexico City鈥檚 historic center, including Bruna, who wore tennis shoes.
G贸mez said she believes the family went viral because people saw in them 鈥渁 hard-working family, a family that gets up every day to make ends meet.鈥�
The president eventually had to cut off questions to move the news conference along, but not before trying to pet Merl铆n and posing for a photo with the family.
The scene had barely ended when social media filled with criticism of the president鈥檚 decision to welcome the duck while relatives of 鈥� who have been demonstrating and seeking a face-to-face meeting with her since the start of the World Cup 鈥� remained unheard.
Wildlife advocates also warned that the popularity of pets like Merl铆n can have unintended consequences. In a Facebook post, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Unit of Pachuca, a city about 90 kilometers (55 miles) north of Mexico City, cautioned that fame can fuel 鈥渋mpulse purchases and abandonment.鈥�
鈥淎nimals do not need owners for fashion; they need responsible caretakers,鈥� the government-run agency wrote.
Merl铆n, at least, appears to have found them.
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