Rescued ducks need homes
“Don’t abandon your pets,” Terri Halverson said as a message to the public after rounding up a dozen domestic ducks at Elliott Pond early Sunday morning.
The domestic ducks do not get proper nutrition at the pond, cannot fly away like the wild ducks, have no source of protection if the pond dries out, and become prey for coyotes and bobcats, according to Halverson and Kim Weldy, who orchestrated a duck rescue similar to one they did seven years ago.
Halverson, Weldy and two other women, all volunteering out of concern for the ducks’ welfare, met around 6:30 a.m. and set up a homemade pen between the dried-out western edge of the pond and the sidewalk along Ramona Street. The pen, consisting of eight panels 6 feet tall, 8 feet wide, was constructed by Weldy using PVC pipe and chicken wire at a cost of $300. Weldy and Halverson tightly tied the panels together to form a long rectangle.
It’s not her job to do this, but someone has to do it, Weldy said.
“The only outcome for these ducks, if it weren’t for Kim’s kind heart, would be (county) animal control,” said Halverson.
People dumping pet ducks, as well as turtles and fish, is a chronic problem every year at the pond, said Weldy.
“If we didn’t do this, they would die,” she said.
Among the ducks they rescued were Indian runners, cayugas, ruoens and one crested.
The crested duck has been at the pond for two or three years, said Halverson.
“He’s one of the oldest residents,” she said.
As soon as the ducks saw the volunteers at the pond’s edge they came waddling up from the back where the water level continues to decline, looking for food. Halverson stood at the opening to the pen throwing in duck food to attract them. She also had a container of fresh water for them to drink.
“The water is so full of bacteria,” said Weldy, noting that tadpoles and other animals have perished at the site.
Among those gathered in the pen was one wild duck who decided he didn’t belong and flew off.
“I think what’s left is wild,” Halverson remarked about the pond’s remaining population.
Using a long stick, she navigated the domestic ducks to two pet carriers, which were loaded into Weldy’s pickup truck to take back to her house. There they will reside until they find homes. Weldy said she would keep two females.
“We’re still taking care of these animals until they find homes, if they find homes,” said Weldy’s friend, Chandra Inglis, who had helped with the 2009 rescue when they gathered about 26 ducks.
Inglis said she and Weldy frequently visited the pond to check on the domestic ducks and feed them, and had already rescued three by hand, including one Pekin. Sometimes they see residents feeding the waterfowl, but point out that bread, birdseed, popcorn, crackers and tortillas are not healthy
“We try to educate them,” said Inglis. “People mean well but they don’t understand what it properly takes to care for these animals.”
Ducks love worms, said Inglis.
“At our house they’re favorite is snails,” she added.
Weldy said one woman brought a bag of duck food to the pond after seeing an article on the ducks’ plight in last week’s Sentinel.
Ducks can be messy, said Weldy, and those who acquire them as pets should have suitable housing that includes a source of water and an enclosure for protection. Those interested in adopting a rescued duck may visit craigslist, bit.ly/2bf5f9n.
“People will be screened for proper set-up,” said Weldy.