HOW DO THEY KNOW???

September 20, 2011

Recently Michael noticed a strange wild duck at our pond. He appeared to have only 1 leg. He must have been very weak, because Michael was able to catch him quite easily. Sure enough, this male mallard had just one leg. The other had been sheared off where a leg would join the body. There wasn’t even a stump left behind. We suspect it was shot off. Somehow, this duck knew to come to The Sanctuary for help. We brought him to the infirmary, fed him up, and now he’s a happy spoiled one-legged duck named Ahab (after the Moby Dick character). My question is, how do these injured wild birds know to come to us for help? It’s not the first time this has happened. Last year a wild duck with a leg that had been shot and then healed backward did the exact same thing. And the year before that, a wild tui with a horrific eye injury let Michael pick her right out of a tree. Happily, we were able to provide treatment for all these cases, and return them to the wild. Ahab seems pretty content to stick around and receive a couple of generous meals a day while he gains strength. However it is that they’re spreading the word, we’re pleased to be able to help!