I went for a walk with a friend to a nearby park. As we walked by a pond this lone duckling appeared out of no where and started to follow us. We didn’t see any other ducks anywhere in the park at all. We let it follow us figuring it would eventually go its way or back to where it came from.
Wherever we sat to talk or whatever the duckling would come sit right by our feet and would get up and follow us when we started to walk. So cute. It was palpable that this duckling was happy to have found us and acted as if she was a part of our group like a little kid. It would go in the water and play around and then come back etc. This went on for about 2 hours. We called Humane Society and they basically told us to let nature take care of nature. When we left, it followed all the way to our car. We didn’t know what to do and felt so bad but eventually we had to go as we pictured in our head raising a duckling…
I doubt the duckling is with us anymore… in the park all alone… I kept trying to think things like Peking duck or duck with orange sauce but that didn’t help.
There’s a local wild bird rehabber whom I would have brought the little bugger to (even tho it’s likely he’s a feral mallard not a purebred wild duck).
It may not have imprinted on you, which is probably what you’re concerned about. I can only offer an anecdote, but the goose in this OK Go video stuck close by the group for several hours while they shot the video. It may just have liked you.
(The link goes to the middle of the video when the goose first shows up.)
Aw, that is sad.
Personally, I would try to find a wildlife rehabber to take it.
If all else fails, I probably owuld have taken it home if I was absolutely sure it was abandoned by its mother and not able to fend for itself.
I actually raised ducklings as pets when I was a kid. They’re not all that hard to care for, actually.
Don’t they say that ducks and geese imprint on the first thing they see after they are hatched. Like if they hatch and see a dog, they follow it around forever because they imprinted on the dog? Or maybe it’s chickens that do that?
Poor duck, but I guess the mama duck had her reason for leaving it. Probaby hopped up on goofballs
