Meet the New York Nonprofit That’s Rescuing Abandoned Domestic Ducks
The pandemic and springtime are prompting careless pet purchases, and ‘LION’ is working to save those that are abandoned in the wild.
Just a couple miles east of NYU’s East Village dorms, thousands of ducks populate the creeks and canals of Long Island’s south shore. Among the native birds, hundreds of domestic ducks are dumped in waterways every year. John Di Leonardo, president of the New York nonprofit Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION), dedicates his time to rescuing these abandoned animals.
“We always rescue hundreds every single year,” said Di Leonardo. “But last year the problem was exacerbated greatly and we rescued more ducks last year than we’ve rescued, any other year… I lost count, but we rescued more than 100, just in Hempstead alone.”
The pandemic has only worsened the situation, with duck and chick hatching becoming a quarantine activity for families who live in the suburbs. With Easter season soon approaching, pet ducks, chicks, and bunnies used as “photoshoot props” are dumped in suburban shores and parks throughout New York.
Although owning fowl is illegal in New York City and the town of Hempstead, domestic breeds end up in waterways every year — often the result of families believing they can raise them as pets, regardless of the fact that New York backyards are not ideal homes for these farm animals.
“It’s a fad,” said Di Leonardo. “Whether they’re bringing ducks home for hatching projects, or as an impulse buy around Easter, people see these cute little ducklings and they just buy them on a whim, not realizing that these ducks will live 10 years.”
These incidents are similar to how dog and cat shelters see increases after Christmas. Once the initial cute factor of the “gift” wears off and people realize the time, energy, and resources needed to care for a pet, they take them back. For the ducks, however, there is no Bidawee to drop them off at. Because of this, many New Yorkers take it upon themselves to get rid of the unwanted pet.
“I think some people know what they’re doing and just want to rid themselves of a problem,” said Di Leonardo. “Other people, I think, they honestly think they’re doing the right thing, they’re just like, ‘Oh, they’ll be fine at the pond,’ but these people don’t realize that they won’t be fine.”
Di Leonardo is adamant that this is an animal cruelty issue and that these ducks cannot care for themselves in the wild. These domestic breeds are not equipped to survive harsh New York weather conditions and have no wild instincts to fly, forage, or fend off predators.
“Domestic ducks will have very small wings and very large bodies, and all their natural instincts have been bred out of them because they were bred for the farming industries typically,” said Di Leonardo. “So, domestic ducks are basically as different from a wild duck as a dog would be from the ancient wolves that they descended from.”
The group of volunteers performs rescues all over New York, typically on Long Island or Queens. They place the abandoned birds in homes and sanctuaries to treat the many injuries and deficiencies these pets acquire in the wild.
LION continues to shine a light on inhumane animal practices, shutting down many circuses and street fair acts all across New York State. Di Leonardo is even pioneering a movement to eliminate hatching projects entirely from schools in the area.
Di Leonardo hopes his story encourages people to stop buying animals as gifts or impulse purchases. For now, bodies of water continue to overpopulate with non-native species, since their only instinct is to mate.
“I feel very strongly about, not just rescuing these animals, but advocating for them,” said Di Leonardo. “You know, these domestics, they’re literally just sitting ducks.”
