Don’t buy a duck if you can’t handle the commitment, Lincoln group says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — If you buy a bird this spring, don’t duck your responsibility.

A local wildlife group said it has recently rescued dozens of domestic ducklings dumped in Lincoln parks.

Lynne Knutzen of Wildlife Rescue Team said Friday that people buy ducklings this time of years because they think they make good Easter gifts for kids.

But they don’t realize how fast ducks grow and how much work it is to raise them, she said.

“They need to be able to provide the space for them,” Knutzen said. “Food is not cheap.”

And when ducklings are young, you need a heat lamp for them.

Knutzen said ducks can double in size in just a week.

When that happens, well-meaning people release them at parks.

But they don’t have the skills to fend for themselves in the wild, Knutzen said.

She urged people to think twice before making the commitment that a duck entails.

“You’re going to have to do some research before you buy a couple of cute little ducklings at a farm store,” Knutzen said.

If you see a domestic duckling, you can call the rescue team, Lincoln Animal Control or the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

The telltale sign that a duck is domestic is if it’s solid yellow.

The Wildlife Rescue Team also said there shouldn’t be any wild ducklings in Lincoln this time of year.

“The wild mothers and hens have not even started making a nest yet,” Knutzen said.