Easter Is A Terrible Time of Year – for Ducks

Resist the temptation to give a duckling, or any other baby animal, as an Easter present. 

This week National Geographic raises the alarm (“Why Easter Is Bad for Ducks”), noting that after the holiday, often weeks or months later, there’s an uptick in abandoned adult ducks in local parks and ponds. There’s no official count, but it’s estimated that tens of thousands of domestic ducks are dumped each year throughout the US. Rescue operations like Duck Defenders save as many as 500 abandoned ducks per year in the New York City area alone.

Duck Defenders president and anthrozoologist John Di Leonardo speaks for the ducks: “Domestic ducks are thinking, feeling individuals, not school science experiments, Easter props, or objects to be discarded like trash. Abandoning domestic fowl is cruel and illegal, and no different than abandoning a dog or a cat. When they're abandoned to fend for themselves, they often freeze to death, starve, or are killed by predators, as they lack the skills to adequately forage and the ability to fly or migrate.”

On top of that, domesticated animals released into the wild can disrupt local ecosystems. They can carry diseases and parasites that spread to native wildlife and, if they live long enough, can outcompete native species for resources.

There are of course great gift options that do not threaten the welfare of helpless creatures. How about stuffed animals or chocolate Easter eggs? 

Photo credit: Maiara Bertolucci / National Geographic