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The Mexican government reported on Friday that it granted a home on credit to the family that owns Merlin the duck, who became viral in the country during the soccer World Cup.
Merlin rose to fame after being caught in videos wearing a small Mexico national team jersey while walking through a crowd of fans next to his owner, Karla Ivette Gómez, a street vendor.
The bird was named an "ambassador" for FIFA in Mexico, appeared in the media, and even on the Mexican national team's social media accounts.
President Claudia Sheinbaum also invited the family and the duck to her daily press conference in June.
"You asked me if I needed anything and I told you about my situation," Gómez said during a video call at this Friday's press conference. "I showed you photos of where we lived, where we bathed, and you told us you would be able to help us."
Sheinbaum then explained that she interceded with the Mexico City government so that the family could join the local social housing program, which is paid for through a loan with favorable terms.
"The only thing I wanted was for you to help me, listen to me, and for me to be able to pay for my house for my children with my work," Gómez noted. "We were living in a storefront, we didn't say anything for fear that the local authorities might take it away from us."
The president responded that the duck and the family had become "a symbol of the country."
[Publicidad]