LUCKY DUCK
by Real Macaw Member, Karen Fox-Martino
Today is Tuesday, June 25, 1996. I spent my lunch hour at the Morris Canal Park located on Broad Street in Clifton, New Jersey. I usually spend two or three lunch hours per week, at this park, in all but the dead of winter. It is a quiet, secluded, peaceful haven for all the little critters who need a break from the urban rush. Surely.... this park is a place for me.
My coworkers, who join me at lunch, laugh at how I make sure that I have a snack for the park critters. Cracked corn or dry cat food for the ducks, bread for the sparrows, and anything available of mine, for Chi-Chi the rat when I see him. (They think I'm "nuts" to be feeding a rat too!) I usually have more animal food to carry, than lunch for myself, but that's OK, that's how I am.
I've always been partial to the ducks. (Surprised?) Especially, the cute fat white barnyard ducks. They have the most innocent little "raisin eyes". To my delight, this park has mostly cute fat white barnyard ducks. There are a few Mallards, a few black ducks, and a few black & white ducks, (perhaps a little hanky-panky), no Canadian Geese, and plenty of fat white barnyard ducks. However, there are too many ducks for this small park. Unfortunately too, there are very few females. I think there are only about four females out of a total of thirty ducks.
I' ve got my "wing out" for one particular battered white barnyard duck, whom my coworkers have named "Lucky". I've been chasing the males away from her for the past two to three years. I know it's the same duck, because the feathers in the middle of her back never get a chance to grow in. She's always dirty, and has missing feathers and scabs on the back of her neck from the males biting and trying to mount her. She limps too. This duck and one other female, spend much of their time running away from the males. Of course, Lucky Duck is the one I hand feed the most.
Lucky is extremely gentle and trusting of humans. She'll sit patiently behind me, waiting for me to finish my lunch. Quaking softly, she waits for me to feed her a corn snack. With one hand, I throw a handful of corn to the "flock" several feet away, with the other hand, I feed Lucky so she gets the most food. Lucky trusts me. One time, the males were chasing her, and she came running up behind me, and straight through my feet under the picnic table! She seemed as if she were looking for protection.
Over the past several months, I've noticed that Lucky's limp has worsened. She always limped, but I never remember the limp being as bad as it was this spring. She has major difficulty getting away from the males, getting up and down the embankment of the brook, and every step she takes makes me want to wince. She lays down a great deal, so her feathers are dirtier than ever. I think we can all recall the rainy May and cold damp June we had this year. It was a pleasure to come to the park today, a picture perfect Tuesday, June 25.
Much to my dismay, Lucky was really hurting. Her little webbed foot was folding backward when she limped around. I could not finish my lunch. I had to do something, and quick! There is a sign in the park with the name "Jack" and a telephone number. Jack is the one to call for making contributions, and volunteering time. I figured he was the one to call first. Who else would know about this little park and the ducks that live there?
I finally got in touch with Jack that evening. He told me about himself and his involvement with the park, and how he oversees the projects, repairs, events, and to my relief.... the ducks! He assured me that volunteers go there early morning and early evening to make sure the ducks were fed all year round. He was aware that Lucky wasn't in the best of shape, but that she was fed, and people were looking out for her. I still felt that I had to do something more. I asked Jack if I could have a Vet take a look at her. He said that I could.
I spent the next two days trying to locate a vet who would see a white barnyard duck, who lived in the park, as a "pet of the public". Much to my dismay, all any vet wanted to see were exotic birds. The minute they heard that the duck was a "park" bird, they wanted nothing to do with me. One Vet's office referred me to the Van Saun Park Zoo. They wouldn't see a Passaic County duck, but a Bergen County duck was a "maybe". The Zoo's referral service, gave me the name of several Licensed Animal Rehabilitators in Passaic County. These people only took on animals and birds provided to them by a Vet. (Catch 22?) I finally found one Rehabilitator who told me that she once cared for a duck provided by an animal hospital in Clifton, on Broad Street of all places! My prayers were answered. I just had to contact this hospital and convince them to see a "park" duck. I lamented my story to the receptionist, about a Licensed Animal Rehabilitator referring me, and that I was "willing to pay". (Key words.) They said yes! I could bring Lucky on Friday, June 28 at 7:30 a.m.
I called Jack immediately to arrange for Lucky's capture. The weather was pretty nice those past two days, and Lucky seemed a little better. He said he'd meet me at 7:00 a.m. at the park, and go with me to the vet. Lucky was easy to catch, she fussed a little, but behaved like a brave duck. The doctor examined her, and told us that she did not have a broken foot! He thought she had some type of neurological damage, and assured me that she was not in pain. (This was a concern of mine, she couldn't live in miserable pain.) He wanted to keep her for the day, to fit in an X-ray to determine if there was a tumor. I said this was OK by me, as long as the price was reasonable. It's funny, Jack wanted to know what my husband thought of my spending money on a wild duck, and why I was doing this anyway? I assured him that this is how bird lovers are, and that "minor money" was not a problem.) A bargain $45 price was offered for the office visit and the X-ray. (I had myself prepared for a $200 price tag.) Lucky spent the day at the Vet.
Needless to say, I got to work very very early. My boss wanted to know why? I told him the story, and he also, thinks I'm nuts. When the rest of the staff got in, everyone wanted to know what happened to Lucky. We all waited with baited breath for the Vet to call. He called at noon. Lucky was suffering from a severe case of arthritis! There was a large calcification in her hip, which caused the limp, lack of strength and lack of feeling in her leg. He said she appeared to be about four years old, and that other than the arthritis, was not in too bad shape. The Vet said she could go home to the park and did not need to be "put to sleep" as would have been the case if he found a tumor.
We all breathed a sigh of relief, I was only $45 in the hole, my boss said, "The duck has what...!", and I could pick Lucky up at 5:00 p.m. and return her to her home. My second quest was to get Lucky and Chip, her mate, (he has a chip in the beak) relocated to a place where they would be taken care of. I brought Lucky back to the park. Before I let her out of her box, I gave her a meal of cracked corn. She ate well, limped to the brook for a drink, and immediately began her little quack-quack, quack-quack. Chip was across the stream answering the quack-quack, with his own quack. It was like a love story.... Chip started running down the path and over the bridge towards Lucky. Lucky waddled a limpy gimp towards Chip, and they met at the end of the bridge, quacking softly to each other. Then they went off to their favorite bedding spot, dusk was coming. I had to get them out of there I thought, with a tear in my eye.
I have a coworker, whose friend Grace has ducks, loves animals, and might possibly want to care for Lucky. Early Saturday morning, I called my coworker to tell her Lucky's tale, of being reunited with Chip. It would be important that whoever took Lucky, took Chip as well. They were definitely a pair! As it turns out, Grace wanted the pair. Grace's "Duck Heaven" was up in Sussex County. (I was told, she actually adds warm water to her pond in the winter so that the ducks can swim.) This was definitely where I wanted Lucky and Chip to go. Now I had to call Jack, to see if it was OK by him. I didn't think he would disagree; there were too many ducks in the park anyway. Jack said Lucky and Chip could be relocated. We had to arrange for their capture. Jack would be away for the 4th of July, and I was having a big party on the 5th of July. It looked like Saturday, July 6 was moving day!
On Monday, July 1st, I went to the park to check on the ducks. I worry that someone might harm those cute fat white ducks with the little "raisin eyes". Vandals have been known to take their toll on the park and its inhabitants. To my surprise, Lucky and Chip greeted me! They were not in their usual place, but I thought nothing of it. I figured they were trying to stay away from the gang-bang flock, and were hanging out off to the side. Lucky limped over and I fed her quite well. Chip packed in a meal himself. I told them that I'd see them real soon. The only thing that disturbed me (as it always does) is the fact that that Lucky had flies on her. (I hate flies.) If Lucky's feathers could only have a chance to grow in, the flies would leave her alone.
I schmoozed Jack into removing the ducks on Wednesday, July 3 after work, rather than on Saturday, July 6. This way, they would not have to be around so many people on a long holiday weekend, and I could transfer them to Grace, who was going to be down this way on July 4. The plan was, that she would pick up the ducks on her way back home to Sussex, sometime the evening of July 4. I was going to be home; I had a big party to plan for on the 5th. Perfect! The ducks spent Wednesday night in my garage (I was afraid of the raccoons), and they spent July 4 in my side yard.
What a miserable July 4th it was. Cold, rainy, damp, not good for arthritis. Chip was comfortable. He ate, drank, and preened. Lucky was in distress. Chip adapted to his enclosure; Lucky couldn't rest. I began to get stressed. I had a big party to plan for, and all I could do was repeatedly go to the side window and look out at that poor duck. What was wrong? Lucky would settle down, and two seconds later shuffle around. Again and again and again. All day. It seemed like she was shivering too. She didn't eat, drank very little, and didn't preen.
I thought Lucky was uncomfortable and not preening because she didn't have a pond. Her feathers were very dirty from lying down so much. (Ducks are very messy birds.) I brought her into our basement, in a laundry basket. (My husband and I were using laundry baskets to transport her and Chip around, as not to have to handle them.) I took Lucky into our walk-in-shower in the basement bathroom. She got a good rinse with the Shower Massage and lukewarm water. Chunks of mud and dung rinsed away. Her feathers brightened up a lot. I noticed a few worms in the middle of her back. From the flies. They grossed me out. I put Lucky back outside in the side yard. She started preening, and drank some water. I felt better; I guess Lucky felt better too.
I checked on her a while later. She was back to that old shuffle routine. What was the matter? I had tears in my eyes. It could only be one thing.... I went back outside to observe her again. My stomach turned, as I viewed her left thigh from underneath, (I was downhill from her, and could see up under her rear feathers, without getting too close or touching her.) I saw many many worms circling around and around and around in a clump. To make things worse, Grace was in contact, and said she could not take Lucky and Chip after all. Great. Now what do I do? Call my mother.
Not that Mom had any solutions that I hadn't already thought of.... Dad said, "Take Lucky back to her home at the park.... now! She is most comfortable there." He followed with the inevitable, "Lucky should be euthanized, it is not fair to her to let her suffer like this." I cried all the way to the park, and all the way back home from the park. I cried several times later that night. (I'm crying now as I write this...) I can still see those little "raisin eyes" looking up at me.
I called Jack immediately to tell him that I brought Lucky and Chip back to the park. I wanted to make sure someone fed Lucky the next day. I wanted to let Jack know that I would pay for the Vet to either help Lucky's condition, or if need be, to put Lucky Duck to sleep. This 4th of July was not full of celebration, but of frustration and despair. I was not in the mood for a party. I was worried that someone would hurt Lucky over the weekend at the park since she was in such a weakened state. Jack was away, he didn't call me back until Sunday morning....he said, "Lucky died, over in the rose garden." He said that he was sorry, and thanked me for caring.
I was at the park Monday. I looked for Chip, but I didn't see him. I didn't see him Wednesday either. I guess he misses his Lucky Duck too.... that cute fat white barnyard duck, with the little "raisin eyes."
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