[2] Trevor began receiving media attention when The New Zealand Herald journalist Claire Trevett encountered the duck on a visit to Niue and reported on his appearance in an article published in September 2018,[3] at which point Trevor's story gained coverage from worldwide news sources.
[8] Commentators hypothesised that he was either blown off course by a storm[4] or stowed away on a ship,[8] as the distance from New Zealand – where mallards have been introduced[9] – is too great for the duck to have flown under his own effort.
[11]: 13 The Foreign Minister of New Zealand arranged for veterinarians from Auckland to assist Niue's Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in caring for the duck.
[13] Two days later, on 25 January, a follow-up post confirmed that Trevor had been "seen dead in the bush after being attacked by dogs".
[14] Trevor was mourned locally and Niue received condolences from around the world, including from his namesake politician.