Ducks Keep Dying At Marlborough Pond, And It's Preventable: Wildlife Rescuer

MARLBOROUGH, MA — The pleasant gazebo off Route 20 overlooking tranquil Hagar Pond near the Marlborough-Sudbury line holds a dark secret.

It's the landmark by which countless ducklings, purchased online or in a farm store for just a few bucks, have passed on their way to being dumped at the shoreline — a certain death sentence.

After rescuing a black Swedish duckling at the pond a few weeks ago, wildlife rescuer Alyssa Giaquinto has decided she's had enough of the dying. She has a message for the public: it's easy to give domesticated ducks a chance at life.

"It is animal cruelty," she says, meaning both the act and the criminal offense.

According to Giaquinto, people often buy very cute ducklings online, using them for things like photo shoots and around holidays like Easter. Some schools also hatch ducks, leading to the ducklings being offloaded at the end of the school year.

The ducklings grow fast, quickly going from cute to "really, really messy," she said. The owners assume they can just drop the animals off at a local pond or lake, and that the packs of unfamiliar wild ducks will take them in (they won't). It's a problem she's seen frequently in Marlborough, but happens anywhere misinformed humans buy cheap ducklings.

Two weeks ago, Giaquinto, a former Marlborough police officer and owner of the Giaquinto Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, went down to Hagar Pond to feed the ducks with her daughter. From within a larger group of ducks perched at the shoreline, she heard the familiar sound of a peeping duckling. The sound raised an alarm for Giaquinto, who knows wild ducks don't have hatchlings this time of year.

When the flock of ducks flew off, they left behind a week-old duckling, which escaped Giaquinto's attempts to corral him. She went home defeated, and lost sleep thinking about whether the duckling would survive. When she went back the next day armed with a net, he was still there. She caught him and took him home, where he now lives.

The duckling was dumped at Hagar Pond with a sibling, Giaquinto discovered after talking to a man who regularly feeds ducks there. The sibling was nowhere to be found and presumably died. Snapping turtles, eagles, raccoons and cold weather are the main threats for domesticated ducks dumped in the wild.

"They are literally sitting ducks for predators," she said.

Hagar Pond was also home to two non-native, flightless Chinese swan geese that survived long enough to have a litter of about seven ducklings, she said. The parents are now dead, and just one of those seven ducklings is still alive today.

The ducks — both wild and domesticated, if they survive — are also at risk from human feeding. People who feed bread to ducks put their health at risk. Bread is so tasty to them, they become dependent and malnourished, leading to deformities like "angel wing." Treats like peas, birdseed and barley are preferred.

The good news, Giaquinto says, is that there are plenty of options for people who regret getting a duckling. The MSPCA's Nevins Farm (978-687-7453) accepts the birds, and a local backyard poultry Facebook group can offer help. Giaquinto also said local animal control departments can help. She's also available to give free advice at (978) 558-9068.

Giaquinto is also considering asking the owner of the property abutting Hagar Pond to put up a sign offering resources for anyone thinking about dumping a duck.

"If people know about their options, this can stop," she said.

RELATED: Ducklings Plucked From Drain In Marlborough Along Route 85