Dumped domestic drakes?

[Miss Lydia]

You could try and find a local rescue and see if they will come have a look.

 

[BornToQuack]

Well, I just wrote the following message in an email to the staff at the gardens (the one rescue group I reached out to hasn't responded yet):

"Hello,
This past Monday my family visited your gorgeous gardens. While admiring some of the many waterfowl, we noticed three drakes who appear to be domestic breed mixes (see attached pictures). I wasn't sure if these ducks were dumped without your knowledge, or if their previous owners got permission to rehome them at the gardens.
In either case, I'm a bit concerned that they might cause issues if they try breeding with the wild birds. Aside from their larger size potentially harming the much smaller female Mallards, any offspring would dilute the pure wild stock. Likewise, many domestic duck breeds are rather poor fliers, so it'd be extremely difficult for them (and potentially their offspring) to migrate with the rest of the flock.
Thanks for listening to my concerns,
[My full name]."

Hopefully if they weren't aware of the problems domestic ducks can cause, they do now. I'll post any responses I receive.

 

[BornToQuack]

Well, that was fast! Apparently they are aware of the problems but just don't care. At least I tried.

"Hello
Yes sometimes people dump there domestic duck in the garden we have no control over that. Not all the birds here migrate in the winter they stay all year round. Thanks for your concern."

 

[iluvsedward]

Well, that was fast! Apparently they are aware of the problems but just don't care. At least I tried.

"Hello
Yes sometimes people dump there domestic duck in the garden we have no control over that. Not all the birds here migrate in the winter they stay all year round. Thanks for your concern."

How unfortunate. Im sure where you are is much colder than MD but at the marina where i work we had some mallards that stayed all year round even in the snow and ice, so they CAN do it. Whats sad is domestic ducks might not have The foraging skills to survive all winter

 

[BornToQuack]

How unfortunate. Im sure where you are is much colder than MD but at the marina where i work we had some mallards that stayed all year round even in the snow and ice, so they CAN do it. Whats sad is domestic ducks might not have The foraging skills to survive all winter

Our winters here (Portland, OR) actually tend to be rather mild. But you're right that these domestic ducks might not have the best foraging skills. One good thing about their current location, though, is that the gardens are a major tourist destination and you can easily purchase healthy duck food at the main entrance. It's like a constant buffet, because people LOVE feeding the ducks and geese!

Of course, our winters tend to be cold, windy, and rainy, so most tourists (and even locals) don't visit outdoor attractions as much.

I'll do my best to keep an eye out for these guys the next time we visit. If they seem even the slightest bit distressed, I'll contact the Oregon Humane Society, Animal Control, and the Audubon Society. Hopefully someone will listen.

 

[BornToQuack]

UPDATE:

Today I called three local farm animal rescue organizations, the Audubon Society of Portland, my avian vet, and the feed and seed store I get our duck supplies from. Two of the rescues haven't responded (I left a message), the Audubon Society said it was good I was trying to help the ducks but that they'd euthanize them if they caught them, my avian vet gave me kudos for trying and suggested I contact the rescues I'd already called, and the feed and seed store was at a loss.

So, I'm just waiting to hear back from the two rescues in the hopes one can help.

As for adopting one of the drakes myself, I mentioned to my avian vet that one drake in particular had really caught my eye. She said it was noble to consider rescuing and adopting him, but that she was concerned he might have picked up parasites and/or diseases from the wild birds. She strongly suggested I NOT introduce him to my flock.

 

[BornToQuack]

RAY OF HOPE?

One of the farm animal rescues just called back! We had a nice chat, and she said if I can get someone to catch the ducks, there's a fantastic duck rescue that would take them in.

Now, how to catch the three drakes I'm trying to help, without:

1) Being accosted by visitors/tourists who don't understand why these ducks need to be rehomed;

2) Attracting more ducks than just the three we're trying to catch;

3) Getting arrested because the city thinks I'm "stealing" from public property/ harming wildlife?

 

[Miss Lydia]

Get some help someone is going to have to get in the water an herd them towards shore you can get permission from who ever before you start then if someone says anything you can say it’s legal and they are going to a rescue some have used that plastic orange fencing and made a tunnel on both sides with helpers holding on to it then at the end of the fence have a large dog crate open or s dog x pen set up. When I rescued three drakes from our river I went down for a week and fed them so they would come up on the bank then I set up a dog x pen with one end open put the corn at the back so they had to walk all the way in once in and eating I closed up the pen picked up the drakes put them into a dog crate and brought them home.

 

[BornToQuack]

So frustrated right now! So far every rescue I've contacted is either at capacity, or wants me to catch the ducks myself. The problem with catching them on own is that our parks are city property, and there's a VERY good chance I'd get arrested while trying to catch them (i.e. bystanders calling police because they don't understand what I'm doing).

To top things off, I just called the city animal control office to explain the problem in the hopes they'd either help me catch the ducks so they can be taken to a rescue organization I've found, or they'd rehome them themselves (i.e. send them to sanctuaries they're in contact with).

Well basically, I was blown off and told that "ducks are smart, they can fend for themselves."