Wednesday, December 14, 2016 | NHS Animal Control
The Nebraska Humane Society’s Animal control division has some advice for duck owners. If you have a domesticated duck, please don’t release him or her at an area pond or lake. Once domesticated, these animals rely on their owners for food, and releasing ducks, especially in the winter months, when waters freeze over, leaves these birds with no resources. Without people to feed them they can easily starve.
A case in point is Ferdinand. Ferdinand is an Indian Runner Duck who appeared at Benson Lake with no flock, likely dropped there by his owner. It took Animal Control officers some trial and error to work out a system to catch him. They used a remote controlled car, to carry a rope across the ice, then “herded” Ferdinand to one side using the rope as a kind of “fence.” Once he was off the ice they were able to complete the capture. Ferdinand is currently in a quiet kennel at the Nebraska Humane Society with a full bowl of food. He is thin, but pretty social and seems to appreciate being warm.
We've received numerous phone calls about Ferdinand, so he should be going to a new home within a couple of days!