Hundreds of orphaned ducklings taken in by B.C. rescue yearly

It looks like there has been an influx of orphaned ducklings coming into a B.C. rescue association as hatching season begins.

According to the Wildlife Rescue Association of BC, this is due to the warmer weather that comes with the spring season.

“Our helpline is kind of bursting at the seams with calls from the public about young ducklings popping up all over the city,” support centre Manager Jackie McQuillan said.

The association says an increase in human and animal activity has also led to the uptick in ducklings coming into the centre’s care.

McQuillan says some ducklings have been hatching in residential areas, causing challenges for the small creatures.

“It’s because they’ve nested in an unusual spot and they become trapped and need some help to get where they need to go. Or sometimes mom gets scared away and the ducklings end up orphaned,” McQuillan explained.

“Our city has developed so much over the years, it means that all of the areas that are kind of adjacent to lovely marshland and other places that ducks used to nest are no longer available, and so they’ll pick places that they now see as being quite desirable,” she added.

McQuillan says the association works at keeping an eye on common spots that aren’t ideal for nesting to make sure the ducks are safe.

“Oftentimes, they’re ‘repeat offenders,'” she said. “They go back to the same spot to nest year after year, and so we have a system of tracking where they’ve nested and our rescue teams have information to go back and help them.”

If you spot potential problems, McQuillan says it’s important to reach out.

“What we ask from the public is that if you notice this, you’ve got a family that is apparently trapped when the little one’s hatch, is that you give our helpline a call and then we can assess the urgency of the situation and get our volunteer team out there to respond,” she said.

She says it’s critical people don’t try and capture the ducks themselves, as this affects how the mother duck responds.

“Mom will usually take off and that’s when the little ones end up orphaned. So our rescue team has the expertise to make sure that the family stays intact, so mom stays with the ducklings so that they can be immediately released back to habitat that’s viable for them,” she said.

McQuillan adds the baby ducks that come in have to remain in care for six to eight weeks, or until they are able to live on their own.

“Each little duckling that comes to us cost about $300 to raise and so we’re always inviting the public to support the work that our organization does to keep wildlife you know, getting back into the wild,” she added.

The association says to contact Wildlife Rescue’s Support Centre at (604) 526-7275 or email wildlife@wildliferescue.ca if you spot ducklings that may need help.