That’s one lucky duck!
Three good samaritans rescued a duck left outside a Gravesend home for several days, allegedly without proper food, water, or tender loving care. The feathered fowl is now safe and warm in foster care — even enjoying hot baths and cozy towels — but is looking for a forever home, preferably somewhere with other species who share the same webbed feet, or at a sanctuary that offers fresh water, said one of his rescuers.
“I had him swimming in my tub — he had a blast. We towel dried him,” said Nessa Diaz, who scooped up the helpless avian and brought him across the Verrazano to her home on Oct. 11. “He does need a home, he needs a home that can have him with other ducks, it’s not an animal to be caged — no animal should be caged.”
His new home will also have to be out of town, since it’s actually against the law to keep ducks as pets in the city.
A local do-gooder was walking her dog near Highlawn Avenue last week when the mutt started aggressively pulling the leash and stopped short right outside the W. Fourth Street home where she spotted the sitting duck behind a locked gate — a day later, the bird was in the same spot, looking like it needed help, said Ann Levy, who lives in Gravesend.
“I was just wondering what it was doing there, to me it looked like he may have been sick or injured,” said Levy. “I’m walking the next day and the same thing — the duck was in the exact same spot, so I knew something wasn’t right.”
Levy leapt into action and contacted Marine Parker Stella Panzarino, who runs the site “Lost and Found Pets in Brooklyn.” The two women, together with Diaz, then contacted police, animal control, and even the Wild Bird Fund, but none was willing to come to the rescue.
Finally, Diaz took it upon herself to knock on the door of the house where the duck had been kept, and an elderly woman explained that the forlorn duck’s partner had tragically died recently after school-aged kids threw rocks at it. But the homeowner jumped at the prospect of offering the surviving duck a better life, so she let Diaz scoop him up.
Now, the as-yet-unnamed avian is anxiously awaiting a new family — but at least he’s safe, said Levy.
“Thankfully, they were able to rescue him,” she said. “I was just so happy they were able to get this done and save his life, I don’t think he would have lived much longer the way he looked.”
If you are interested in adopting the duck, please contact Nessa at chynavel@gmail.com.
