Duckling Rescue

               I was talking to my friend, Helga.  She read one of my stories about a duckling.  She said it was poignant.  She commented I must really like ducks. 

               Helga is a retired psychologist.  I am a lawyer.  We are both in listening professions and are careful with our words.  I have no exceptional love of ducks.  They are all around my house and I pay attention to them.  I have exceptional love for most babies, not cockroach babies, but ducklings are cute and fuzzy. 

               From observing the ducklings with their mothers, I learned the ducklings constantly peep.  That can be translated into English, “Mom, Mom, Mom.”  The duck chortles in return, “I am here.  I am here.”  That’s how they communicate.

  

               When a single duckling is lost from its mother it peeps non-stop and runs around like a cartoon duck, panicked.  Unless it finds its mother, it is going to die, for ducklings cannot survive on their own.  That is intolerable to me, I can’t watch that and not try to help.  I grab the duckling with the intention of keeping it comfortable until it can be returned.   I have returned healthy ducklings to their families, I do not recall how many. 

               I gave two ducklings to two different mothers, on different dates, because healthy ducklings don’t like being in a cage in my house.  They love being with a duck mother and other ducklings.  Both those ducklings died, as did many of the mothers’ other ducklings. 

               I have taken in ducklings that appear healthy, but die quickly, from parvovirus. 

               I took in a very sick duckling with botulism.  She died.  I have since learned how to treat botulism, don’t know that it will work, but I will try. 

               I kept a duckling that was limping for a week.  She is alive and back with her family.  That’s an awesome feeling.

               The odds of me taking in a duckling and having it survive are low, but I can’t stand the sight of an abandoned duckling.  It’s not a particular love of ducks, it’s a particular love of helpless babies.  I can't stand watching them suffer.  

               Conversely, there are 497 children still separated due to the family separation policy that ended on June 20^th.