'Duck Defenders' Catch Invasive Ducks At Huntington Pond, Other Areas

HUNTINGTON, NY — A woman became the unexpected foster mother of two Rouen ducks when the "Duck Defenders" captured them near a Huntington pond after they were "wreaking havoc" on smaller ducks.

The aggressive Rouen ducks, "much bigger" than native ducks, were harming the native female ducks at Heckscher Pond, said Huntington resident Debbie Persampire. She called John and Juliana Di Leonardo, who drove from Malverne to capture the Rouen duck duo on May 9.

The Di Leonardos then drove the ducks to Persampire's home, ordered a 50-pound sack of quality duck food, lent her an enclosure to keep the ducks safe at night, and then taught her how to care for them until their forever home is found.

"[The Di Leonardos] were friendly and it couldn't be more obvious that they knew exactly what they were doing," Persampire told Patch. "They caught the ducks in a matter of seconds, and they each carried one out of the park cradled in their arms. As they were leaving the park, they answered questions from curious bystanders, using it as an opportunity to educate the public about the issues with invasive ducks."

Persampire said she was "so very impressed" by the rescue.

"I never met anyone like this, so dedicated, and so devoted," she said.

The Di Leonardos run Humane Long Island, a not-for-profit, to do this work. Humane Long Island has rescued dozens of domestic ducks abandoned at Heckscher Park and thousands across Long Island, John Di Leonardo said. He and Juliana recently rescued a domestic goose in Yaphank, a young domestic duckling from Mill Pond in Wantagh, and a female Rouen duck from a pond in New York City.

Two days before the ducks were removed from Heckscher Pond, Persampire said she and her daughter watched as a group of male ducks seemed to gang up on a female that was trying to look after her 12 ducklings.

"We were upset when we watched her fly away to protect herself and was forced to abandon her 12 newly-hatched ducklings for close to 30 minutes," Persampire said. "The following day, we visited again and noticed there were only 7 ducklings left in that group. A local man, who lived near the park and visits daily, explained to us that these two invasive ducks were dropped off at the pond and wreaking havoc amongst the females, causing the ducklings to be unsupervised and vulnerable to predators."

Brian Dwyer, the man who lives nearby, told Persampire the ducks had killed one of the females the day before. Dwyer worked with Elisa from Manor Farms to help remove the ducks from the pond.

"That night, I was very upset," Persampire said. "I posted about the situation on a Huntington Facebook page called 'The Real Parents of Huntington.' Many people offered suggestions and I went down the list, making calls ... When I called 'The Duck Defenders,' they immediately responded that they would meet me in the morning if I would agree to foster them. I wasn't very motivated to care for ducks that were causing all of these troubles, but if it was the only way they would be removed from the park, I agreed to take them."

Persampire said the "Duck Defenders" explained Rouen ducks are raised to be aggressive and that their nature "really isn't their fault."

"They shouldn't have been carelessly abandoned in a park," she said. "They don't know how to survive in the wild and they would have eventually starved to death. It turns out these ducks are gentle and sweet. I am enjoying them for the time they will be here. When I walk out back, they run over together, while quietly quacking. They don't go anywhere alone, they are always together. When my husband did yard work over the weekend, they followed him around. I know I can't keep them, but I will miss them when they are gone."

Domestic ducks were domesticated by humans thousands of years ago, Di Leonardo explained. Years of selective breeding produced waterfowl vastly different from their wild counterparts, both physiologically and psychologically, just like dogs and wolves, he said.

Bred for either egg or meat production, domestic ducks have tiny wings, large bodies and generally no camouflage, according to John. They typically cannot fly, and they can never migrate — "literally sitting ducks for predators and cruel people when abandoned to the wild," he said.

Domestic ducks also lack the survival instincts of wild birds. Many were raised in incubators and never learned limited skills from their mother, Di Leonardo said. When abandoned on ponds, they do not know how to forage for naturally occurring food and often starve to death. They are routinely attacked and killed by predators, including raccoons, foxes, snapping turtles, and humans, John said.

Most die within the first few days of being dumped, he said. If they make it until winter, they face diminishing natural food sources and frozen ponds and cannot migrate to find water. These abandoned animals often become frozen in place on the ice.

Abandoning domestic ducks can also be "problematic" for ecosystems, he said. When introduced into nature, non-native species disrupt natural ecosystems, which rely on the migratory behavior of wild ducks and geese and the natural recovery period that comes with their absence.

"As domestic waterfowl eat not only the roughage of plants but their entire root structure, native plants are particularly at risk from starving ducks who eat voraciously trying futilely to meet the calories they need to survive once abandoned," Di Leonardo said.

Should domestic ducks or geese try to breed with wild birds, they may kill them, as the two Rouen ducks in Huntington killed a female mallard because of their sheer size, he said.

Even if their mating is successful, their offspring will likely be flightless as well, further disrupting the ecosystem and exposing the young to the same dangers as their domestic parent, he added.

"Whenever you see a group of domestic ducks in an area, it's not because of them breeding but because of continuous, unchecked abandonment, which is harmful for the domestic ducks and ecosystems alike," John said.

Humane Long Island has offered to donate signs educating the public about how domestic ducks are as different from wild ducks as a house cat is from a tiger, he said.

"We hope Huntington will take us up on our offer soon before more ducks are abandoned and possibly killed at the park," he said. "Not only is domestic duck abandonment cruel, but it's illegal, punishable by a $1,000 fine or a year in jail."