With winter weather just around the corner, the Nebraska Humane Society says they are receiving an increasing number of calls regarding domesticated ducks at Omaha area lakes and lagoons.
Investigator Kelli Brown says the callers are concerned that the pet ducks can't survive winter. "They can't fly to escape the cold weather and find food," Brown says.
Brown believes many owners dump them in the lakes during the summer months when there are plenty of people to feed them. Recently two ducks were rescued from from Standing Bear Lake near 132nd and Fort and will be ready for adoption in a few days.
Brown says ducks are extremely difficult for animal control officers to catch, which causes frustration for the citizens who want the ducks removed from the lake or lagoon before it's too late.
"We've had a lot of weird calls for ducks that have sat out on a frozen lake and their feathers get frozen to the ice and we've had to come up with creative ways to get them off of the ice."
Dumping domesticated ducks in this manner could be a violation of city ordinances that deal with abandoning animals to fend for themselves.
Brown says owners who no longer want their ducks should call the Nebraska Humane Society to take the unwanted house guests off their hands.
NHS can be called at 402-444-7800, x1.