Chip

Yesterday afternoon all I wished for was some well-deserved sleep. It had been a long week and I was beyond exhausted. Just as I was about to sit down and relax I saw a little boy walking down the path behind my apartment holding something in his hand.

"What is that?" I asked him through the screen door.

"I found a baby duck all alone," he replied.

Crap.

I ran outside and looked at the duckling. From my non-veterinarian perspective, he looked alright, but scared to death. His little body was shaking like a leaf.

I called my neighbor, Julie. She has assisted in many animal rescues and knows a lot about wildlife.

Julie saw a duck family close by and put our new little friend near them. He wobbled over to the group and at first we got really excited thinking this may actually be his family. But even though the mom and dad duck didn't seem to mind the little guys presence, their babies began pecking at him.

And then I did something brave! I reached into a gathering of about 8 pecking and angered ducklings to pick up my little lost buddy.

I held a duck in my hand for the first time in my life. His fuzzy baby feathers felt so soft against my hand. I pet his little head with my fingertip and told him not to fret. He didn't seem to understand though :)

Julie said the best thing to do was to take him to Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford. They would give him any medical attention he may need and let him live in a safe environment as he grows into an adult duck.

I threw one of my hottest pair of dressy sandals on the closet floor and created a makeshift transport out of the shoebox.

On the way to the refuge, I named my new friend Chip because he made little cries that sounded like "chip, chip, chip".

We gave Chip over and they told us he was in very good shape and not to fear. They also said they had a lot of ducklings so he would be raised with a group of friends until they were ready to fend for themselves.



So Chip is where is now needs to be.

Good luck, little duck!