Fluffy orphans prove to be quite a handful
When a vehicle ran down a mother duck in Taranaki, it left eight ducklings orphaned – but not for long.
A member of the public who saw the incident caught the wee birds and took them to the North Taranaki SPCA in the hope they could help.
And they could – the tiny waddlers are staying with animal-foster mum Jennie Reed until they’re big enough to be released into the wild.
‘‘Every year we end up with bunches of ducklings,’’ North Taranaki SPCA spokesperson Jackie Poles Smith said.
‘‘So we get them into foster homes and release them once they’re old enough to fend for themselves.
‘‘We immediately thought of our wonderful Jennie who is an absolutely fabulous foster mum for us who takes on a multitude of animals and as always, she said yes.’’
Over the years Reed has fostered everything and anything, including five different lots of ducklings last year, but this is the most of the wee birds she’s had at one time.
What does it take to foster a duckling?
‘‘Care for them, feed them and keep them warm,’’ Reed said.
She feeds them crumbs, water and sits their cage near her fire each night.
‘‘I’ve brought them to work every day since I got them.’’
However, it’s not all easy, she almost lost one of the eight who appeared to be the smallest of the bunch. But she has since nursed it back to health.
‘‘I’ve always loved working with animals, I’ve been a farmer all my life.’’
Reed said this meant she was probably a ‘‘little bit more hardened’’ to seeing animals in hardship and loved to help in any way she could.