Resident works to save ducks at Elliott pond

Kim Weldy is on a mission again to save the ducks — the domestic ones that should not be at Elliott Pond.

“They’re starving right now,” the Ramona resident said.

She also wants to educate the public that not all ducks are equal and bread is not healthy for them to eat.

Wild ducks like mallards are migratory and can fly away, but domestic ducks such as the white Pekin duck with the orange bill have a heavy body, are slow and cannot fly off, she said. They usually end up at Elliott Pond behind Stater Bros. because people bought them as pets, discovered they make a huge mess and released them to be with other ducks, explained Weldy.

Some have bred with wild ducks and there are now hybrids. And, since the domestic ducks cannot fly away, they can become prey for bobcats and coyotes, Weldy noted.

Elliott Pond is only half-filled with water. The portion of the pond by Ramona Street is completely dry.

It was a similar scenario in July 2009, when Weldy enlisted the helped of several volunteers to round up about 26 ducks and two geese at Elliott Pond, put them into crates and find homes for them. Many went to Weldy’s property.

She estimates there are 25 ducks at the pond now and 10 of them are domestic.

On a given morning an assortment of ducks may leave the water and waddle through the dry portion of the pond toward Ramona Street if they see someone walk up, thinking they have food. Weldy cautions against feeding them bread, crackers or popcorn, which fills up their stomach without any nutritional value. They might not eat their natural food then and start to depend on humans to feed them. She recommends duck food, sold in feed stores, or salad greens. Non-citrus fruit and zucchini are also options, according to experts.

Weldy’s compassion for the ducks has led her to purchasing appropriate food and stopping by after work to feed them. She has already rescued two and is in the process of staging a full rescue.

“I do it because I feel sorry for them,” she said.