Hong Kong says goodbye to massive rubber duck

HONG KONG, June 11 (UPI) -- A crowd of tens of thousands gathered in Hong Kong to bid farewell to the giant rubber duck that has resided in the city's harbor since May 2.

The 54-foot-tall inflatable sculpture, Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman's Rubber Duck, came to the city May 2 and deflated at the stroke of midnight Monday morning, the South China Morning Post reported Tuesday.

Hofman thanked the assembled crowd for their support of his art project.

"Thank you for adopting the Rubber Duck project in your heart," he said.

Rubber Duck is next bound for Azerbaijan followed by the United States. The exact locations of the visits are being kept under wraps, Hofman said.