Found an abandoned duck which I've been forced to give up

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About three weeks ago I found a little abandoned duckling about 2-3 weeks old which was standing on a pot in one corner of the local lake, unable to get out as its feathers were water logged. I picked it up and warmed it in the cup of my hand and looked for any adult ducks to place it with. Since I couldn't find any adult ducks I decided to take it home as leaving it there would have been a death sentence to the poor duckling. All the way home I felt it shivering in my hands.

When I got home I placed it in a blanket in the sun hoping it might revive, but fearing it would die. Several hours later it stood up in the blanket and started chirping. I took it out of the blanket and placed in on the back lawn where it immediately ran into bushes and hid itself in the grass. I went to the kitchen and cooked up some porridge in a glass dish and placed it near the duckling with a basin of water. Soon after it went over to the dish and gorged itself of the porridge while drinking copious quantities of water from the basin of water.

Over the next week it took over the backyard eating copious amounts of any food I offered it, but particularly wheat bix and porridge which it loved. At night I would bring it into the house where I made a little nest for it in the bathroom. After a week it started becoming so friendly I became worried that it would become too attached to me to return it to the wild. I therefore decided to take it back to the lake and release it back to the water.

At first all went well. It socialised with the older ducks, following them out to the small island in the centre of the lake. Unfortunately it was the only surviving duckling and had no other ducklings to play with. Each day I would return to the lake to feed it. It appeared to be coping extremely well, following the other ducks around, mimicking their behaviour and feeding off the aquatic plants in the lake and grazing by the shore of the lake,eating the long grass around the pond.

Unfortunately about a week after I released it back into the lake I noticed the other ducks attacking it. I was hoping their behaviour would pass. Then one day I couldn't find the duckling. I searched everywhere before leaving food for it and returning later in the day to find it still missing. I spoke to several people who said they noticed the duckling being attacked by the other ducks. One person said the duckling left the lake and then was attacked by a dog. I returned the following day to still find it missing, after which I assumed it had been killed.

I was distraught but determined to keep returning to the lake in the hope of finding it. Then the next day it turned up in the same corner of the pond I had first found it, dishevilled but still alive. I picked it up and noticed feathers missing. It was waterlogged and shivering. I approached one of the park gardeners and showed her the duck. She suggested I take it home and either keep it or ring the local wildlife association to see whether they might take it.

I followed the advice of the park gardener and rang the local wildlife association when I got home. At first the conversation went well until I explained that I had been keeping the duckling at my home for about a week. I was then threatened with prosecution for illegally keeping native wildlife without a licence. She demanded that I immediately drop the duckling off at the nearest vet clinic for pickup of the nearest accredited native wildlife rescuer. I was disgusted with the attitude of the local wildlife representative who gave me no credit for saving the duckling's life. Nevertheless, I took down the number of the nearest vet clinic and rang them when I got off the phone.

The impression I got when I rang up the vet clinic was that they would only take the duckling reluctantly and they could not tell me when the native wildlife rescuer would be able to pick the bird up. I therefore asked for the phone number of the native wildlife rescuer. Only when I rang that number did I find another human being who was sympathetic to my situation. She assured me she would take good care of the bird and release it when it was fully feathered. I told her I would drive the duckling to her address.

My wife was relieved we found someone to look after the bird, but was upset we couldn't keep the bird for another couple of days so it could recover from its injuries and stress. Fortunately, the native wildlife rescuer came across as a very nice person who showed love and concern for the duckling when I took the bird to her. The duckling was placed into an aviary on it's own. She explained that she would slowly introduce it to some of the adult ducks who fly into her backyard during the day.

I really felt guilty when I left the duckling with the carer. I feel I was deserting the poor duckling after finding it a second time in deep stress and injured. I know the carer will take good care of the duckling and raise it till it is mature and able to be released, but I feel angry I received no sympathy from the local wildlife association. I will attempt to reconnect with the carer in a few days time to check the recovery progress of the duckling.

I think you did right by the duck. You gave it a good chance.

I had a similar experience with a representative from the Humane Society. My vet told me to take my dog there and hope that he is rescued by a bully breed specialist. But they said they may euthanize him. Thanks.

Some people only function by following rules rather than common sense.

The minimum-wage local wildlife representative has a big shiny badge and you don't! That is the difference for so many petty law-enforcement officers of all stripes. They actually drink their own Kool-Aid. The representative doesn't know that many, many migratory birds need and receive human assistance in their travels. In Utah, there are several rescue groups doing great work. The representative was tripping on his or her own authority, nothing else.

But, I believe that the duckling will be well-cared for and returned to live with other ducks. Don't be surprised if he or she shows up near your home next autumn. I don't live in a rural area, but, living on a migratory path between Canada and Mexico, I see the same birds (of various kinds) returning every spring and autumn to my neighborhood. Some were born in or lived in my neighborhood and know exactly how and where to return. It is amazing how exactly they can return to the places where they lived early on.