Make Way For the Wild Ducklings

Our Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Program staff is sometimes hesitant to share adorable “baby pictures,” because we know that pictures like these can convey the wrong message. So, while you ooh and aah over the baby ducklings that recently came into our rehab care, please keep in mind that it is always imperative to return babies to their mother if at all possible.
In this case, there was concrete evidence that the mother had been hit by a car and killed, so we took care of them until we could place them in a more appropriate setting to be raised and returned to the wild. In most other cases, the “rescuer” falsely assumes the baby wildlife are orphaned, when in fact mom is hiding nearby and waiting for the humans to go away!
Wild babies are everywhere around us this time of year, and in most cases, they need to stay right where they are to have a chance to grow up in nature.
This week, we transferred these ducklings to a facility that maintains other wild ducks. This will allow these babies to have a chance at growing up "wild."