Advice Please Rescuing Muscovy Ducklings

[Rosestars]

Some Muscovy ducklings that are almost grown were hit by a car on my street the other day. I have seem them grow since they were very small. Two died , one is limping and two others cant walkl They crawl on their bellies with on leg hanging limp and their wings and other leg propelling them forward.

In the state I live in Florida they are considered invasive and a nuisance. They just want to euthanize. I did find one place that takes in Muscovy ducks and specializes in the injured ones. I was hoping these ducks i care about would get proper medical care and a chance at a life

That brings me to my question. I contacted a rescue organization they are
the only rescue I knew of that specialize in muscovy ducks the woman I talked to was behaving rather badly I feel. While her website claims donations are requested but not required in her emails she made it l clear that if I was to drop them off she expected a donation and the amount .I do not mind giving to a place I drop off a rescue to if asked but she was not just asking she was demanding. I have grown to care about these ducks I have seen since they were babies I wanted them to get good medical care and a new start with a rescue that claims to take in injured muscovies. She is also very far away about 4 hours drive I wanted to make sure I was not taking them to their death. I asked her if she was going to euthanize them or save them. That I wanted them saved and that I did not want to pay a donation and drive there if they would be killed if I wanted euthanization I could get that anywhere around here. So I said as much and asked if her she intended to save them or euthanize

She responded by calling me rude saying how well known she was as a no kill and she had no time for people who did not trust . That it was nasty of me to refuse to donate and to go somewhere else.

I do not trust her. I bet she was just going to kill them after getting me to donate money. What do you think ? Is it right to demand money from people dropping off injured animals at a rescue?

 

[RAsChickens]

Some Muscovy ducklings that are almost grown were hit by a car on my street the other day. I have seem them grow since they were very small. Two died , one is limping and two others cant walkl They crawl on their bellies with on leg hanging limp and their wings and other leg propelling them forward.

In the state I live in Florida they are considered invasive and a nuisance. They just want to euthanize. I did find one place that takes in Muscovy ducks and specializes in the injured ones. I was hoping these ducks i care about would get proper medical care and a chance at a life

That brings me to my question. I contacted a rescue organization and feel disappointed in it.Theyre
the only rescue I knew of that specialize in muscovy ducks the woman I talked to was behaving rather badly I feel. While her website claims donations are requested but not required in her emails she made it l clear that if I was to drop them off she expected a donation and the amount .I do not mind giving to a place I drop off a rescue to if asked but she was not just asking she was demanding. I have grown to care about these ducks I have seen since they were babies I wanted them to get good medical care and a new start with a rescue that claims to take in injured muscovies. She is also very far away about 4 hours drive I wanted to make sure I was not taking them to their death. I asked her if she was going to euthanize them or save them. That I wanted them saved and that I did not want to pay a donation and drive there if they would be killed if I wanted euthanization I could get that anywhere around here. So I said as much and asked if her she intended to save them or euthanize and that if she was going to euthanize i was not going to drive them there and donate. She responded by calling me rude saying how well known she was as a no kill and she had no time for people who did not trust . That it was nasty of me to refuse to donate and to go somewhere else.

I do not trust her. I bet she was just going to kill them after getting me to donate money. What do you think ? Is it right to demand money from people dropping off injured animals at a rescue?

I honestly think it is right. That is called a Surrender Fee. What were her exact words? Could you maybe copy and paste the e-mail(s) here? Maybe you could meet in the middle somewhere to surrender them? (in case that didn't make sense: You live in Town A, she lives in Town C, Town B is right in between them. You meet at selected location in Town B, so you each only must drive halfway with a break in the middle instead of 4 hours straight for each of you).

 

[Rosestars]

I do not know what a surrender fee is. They are wild birds even though legally Florida does not think of them that way. They are not mine. Is it really true that if you find injured wildlife and turn them in to a rescue you have to pay a fee? It is not really the drive that bothered me as much as not knowing the fate of the ducks that I was bringing to her. I wanted them saved not killed. She showed no interest in meeting me though. Also her website claims that donations from people dropping off ducks are requested but not required, but when she contacted me she made it clear a donation was required .

 

[JanetMarie]

Is it possible that you could take care of them?

 

[Rosestars]

Is it possible that you could take care of them?

Well that is the million dollar question. I guess I should have explained further but I did not want to confuse things with too much info. i have already taken one of them months earlier. The mother duck had her babies in the bushes of the house across the street from me and every day she would take her babies around my street to those like me who liked them . I noticed one day when they were in my backyard a little one that could barely walk and was very far away from the others . I picked it up to bring it back to the group and the mother duck and saw it had been pecked in the head under the eye leaving a deep gash that had made the eye swollen. I felt then it was being attacked by the other ducks and possibly rejected . I did not have the heart to put it back to be attacked any further so I rescued it. The duck has a lame leg and cant walk and even more helpless . She is only half the size of the others very small but friendly and tame.Her eye is much better but I do not know what is wrong with her leg. I have been looking into finding her. help I called many places to ask for help and that is how i learned that they just euthanize wild muscovies. The ducks recently hit by a car are her siblings. I live within city limits. I think we may be allowed to own one chicken but not any ducks that I know of. I tried to find out the rules Florida is very confusing on this but it seems they are more upset if I release a muscovy into the wild then keep it. Anyway I will look into helping the other ducks. They are welcome to come to my yard any time ... I will talk to a man i know who has a house on a lake that has ducks living there. I think he will allow them to stay there on his land , he is most likely zoned to be able to keep them, here in Florida Muscovies are only allowed to be released on private land not public land and the land owner must agree to prevent them from escaping .I hope they will be safe and happy there . I just do not know what else to do

 

[RAsChickens]

I do not know what a surrender fee is. They are wild birds even though legally Florida does not think of them that way. They are not mine. Is it really true that if you find injured wildlife and turn them in to a rescue you have to pay a fee? It is not really the drive that bothered me as much as not knowing the fate of the ducks that I was bringing to her. I wanted them saved not killed. She showed no interest in meeting me though. Also her website claims that donations from people dropping off ducks are requested but not required, but when she contacted me she made it clear a donation was required .

Yes, you will need to pay a surrender fee to help pay for the medical expenses a bit. Make it very clear you want then saved, no matter how annoyed she gets. She could have just had a bad day and was taking her anger out on you without even knowing it! I have mild anger issues, so I understand.

 

[wvchics]

I wouldn't trust her and I don't think it's right to demand $ from someone. It is a rescue that's what they do. Places like that get $ donated by all kinds of people. If they are going to charge to rescue animals that should be made public not hidden behind the facade that donations are not mandatory. I understand they need money, but there are plenty of ways to raise $ for something like that. I'm sorry to hear how you were treated. I think you should nurse them back to health and check about that lake. That will probably make a better life for them anyway. I could understand asking politely for help with food or even medical bills, but to refuse unless you give them $ is ridiculous. Does she claim to be non profit - just curious

 

[Rosestars]

Yes, you will need to pay a surrender fee to help pay for the medical expenses a bit. Make it very clear you want then saved, no matter how annoyed she gets. She could have just had a bad day and was taking her anger out on you without even knowing it! I have mild anger issues, so I understand.

Well she has had a bad day every time i talked to her then lol . Her replies to me when I contacted her over the first little duckling were so bad I refused to take her there. She would start yelling at me in all caps like when I asked questions on how she could keep the ducking ( who had already been attacked )safe from other ducks. She is elderly and my daughter is convinced something is not right with her. When I contacted her about these more recent ducks I used a different email address . I have read that she gets quite overwhelmed with ducks and when I contacted this recent time she mentioned that she had spent the entire day trying to get donations. I do not know if I can demand that they be saved. It is possible she would do it if I offered to pay for it ... I do not have a lot of money. Honestly we are poor.

What about a person who finds an injured creature and cannot afford to pay a fee to drop them off at a rescue ?

 

[Rosestars]

I wouldn't trust her and I don't think it's right to demand $ from someone. It is a rescue that's what they do. Places like that get $ donated by all kinds of people. If they are going to charge to rescue animals that should be made public not hidden behind the facade that donations are not mandatory. I understand they need money, but there are plenty of ways to raise $ for something like that. I'm sorry to hear how you were treated. I think you should nurse them back to health and check about that lake. That will probably make a better life for them anyway. I could understand asking politely for help with food or even medical bills, but to refuse unless you give them $ is ridiculous. Does she claim to be non profit - just curious

Thank you that is what I thought too that demanding money is wrong her role is to care about all injured ducks not just the ones brought in by people who can make donations. She is a non profit . She has been around since 2005. I found articles written about her. That is how I learned about her. She specializes in muscovy ducks. I will try to take care of them as best I can and find them a lake, but the ones crawling on their bellies do not always want to stay in my yard, they crawl back and forth from here to the houses across the street chasing after their flock. This lady has connections to medical care but I wonder if she gets overwhelmed with ducks how many are actually saved and how many she will euthanize? Even though she claims she is no kill since she takes in a lot of injured ones, so she could say they were beyond help even if they could have been saved and it would be harder to prove .

Here in Florida there is a big controversy about muscovy ducks. They are in people's yards and at apartment complexes they are friendly and cute but can make a mess especially on driveways and in pools .Some people like them and some really dont. They became wild after escaping the farms they were on and then began to breed . Owners are actually allowed to kill the ducks that come into their yards. I personally find it sad. Some on this street who do not like them joke about shooting them but I know they will not do it. The problem is they legally can.

 

[wvchics]

That is sad. It always breaks my heart to hear about animals being treated this way. I agree there is something not right going on with the situation. Sometimes people start with the right intentions then things change. People get greedy. I wish I were closer I would take them. I don't have a lot of money either, but I would still take them. Have you tried to put a splint on the ones that can't walk. I would try that and if possible try to contain them at least temporarily until they heal a bit. If you are able to splint them it'll help them heal better and they could walk again. There's no guarantee, but it gives them a better chance. I've learned to do lots of these kind of things myself due to my lack of funds, and unless it's too severe they usually come out okay. I've even saved baby bunnies before. And that is no easy task. One did die but the two I saved I turned loose eventually, and now my next door neighbor says he has a rabbit that keeps getting in his garden and he has trouble chasing it off, lol. He said it acts like it's not even scared of him. I'd like to think that's one of my rescues lol. If you need any help or suggestions I'll do the best I can to assist. I'm glad someone cares enough to take them in.