Educating the Public About Duck Dumping

Hal Lawton, CEO of Tractor Supply Company

We, the undersigned, are asking that Tractor Supply help ensure the safety and welfare of their ducklings by providing written information to every customer who purchases ducks from them, and by educating their employees on responsible duck rearing, with regards to nutritional requirements and the unethical and illegal act of “duck dumping”.

So why is it a bad idea to release domesticated ducks into the wild?

1. In most areas of the United States, this act is considered abandonment, can result in cruelty           charges, and is considered a misdemeanor, punishable by fines and jail time. It is illegal in the state of North Carolina, for example, to abandon any domestic animal, and this includes both ducks and geese.

2. There is a vast difference between wild ducks and domestic ducks:

  • Domestic ducks are bred to be slow, flightless, and have small wings and large bodies.

  • Domestic ducks are typically bred for farming and lack natural instincts, leaving them dependent on humans for food and shelter.

  • The term "sitting duck" comes from ducks being easy targets when not flying. Things that happen to ducks dumped in public areas are:

        --People often unknowingly feed ducks unhealthy food (bread, chips, cereal). This practice       discourages the ducks from foraging for healthy foods, resulting in nutritional deficiencies and     malnutrition, leading to debilitating health issues.  

       --Many do not survive their first winter due to exposure to harsh elements, starvation, and an     inability to migrate with their wild counterparts.

      --They are defenseless against predators, including owls, dogs, raccoons, and sadly, many ducks     succumb to acts of cruelty committed by humans.

3. The problem of intermingling Wild and Domestic ducks:

  • When domestic ducks breed with wild ducks, their offspring are usually flightless, compounding the problem.

  • Eco-systems rely on migration as a recovery period.

  • Domestic and Wild ducks carry many different diseases from one another, including the deadly and highly contagious, Avian Bird Flu. This Flu, which is now on the East Coast of the United States, is affecting the ability of Rehabs to accept birds that need rescuing.

So, why are people releasing domesticated ducks into the wild?

  • Ducklings are often bought on impulse because they are cute and make good photoshoot props. Sadly, people do not know how to take care of them or realize how much work they involve, and then abandon them. Usually, this happens around Easter.

  • The incidents of “duck dumping” have been nonstop during the pandemic, with duck and chick hatching becoming a quarantine activity for families living in the suburbs.

Domestic ducks can live anywhere from 8-15 years and sometimes even longer when properly cared for. They are companion animals with emotions and intelligence. When their families abandon them, they become traumatized and left to chance. The bottom line is that “duck dumping” is preventable.

When we know better, we do better. Please help us better educate the public to stop "duck dumping” for good.


References:

https://aldf.org/article/laws-that-protect-animals/

https://nyulocal.com/meet-the-new-york-nonprofit-thats-rescuing-abandoned-domestic-ducks-974be486874

https://www.liherald.com/stories/group-rescues-abandoned-domestic-ducks-in-baldwin,130367

https://www.goosewatchnyc.com/abandoned-animals

http://www.majesticwaterfowl.org/

https://m.facebook.com/nt/screen/?params=%7B%22note_id%22%3A710043766285663%7D&path=%2Fnotes%2Fnote%2F&_rdr

https://ducksandclucks.com/blog/2020/01/13/dumped-domestic-ducks-highland-glen/

https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/domesticated-duck-abandonment-problem-in-big-spring-park/

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1994-02-01-1994032084-story.html

https://www.peninsuladailynews.com/news/abandoned-domestic-ducks-find-happy-homes/

https://www.3newsnow.com/news/local-news/nhs-captures-abandoned-domestic-ducks


Sponsored by

To: Hal Lawton, CEO of Tractor Supply Company
From: [Your Name]

We, the undersigned, are asking that Tractor Supply help ensure the safety and welfare of their ducklings by providing written information to every customer who purchases ducks from them, and by educating their employees on responsible duck rearing, with regards to nutritional requirements and the unethical and illegal act of “duck dumping”.