You found three cute, little Muscovy ducklings wandering around on the sidewalk peeping their little heads off. They lost their mom, and you can’t find her anywhere.
Obviously, you can’t leave them out there all alone, so you scoop them up and put them in a box with a towel in the bottom and keep them warm. Now, what do you do? You can’t keep them; you aren’t equipped to raise three ducks. You find out about a veterinarian in the area who will take the ducklings.
Problem solved.
Well . . . not exactly.
What you don’t realize is that that vet’s not going to know what to do with the ducklings. They don’t deal with wildlife, and they really don’t want them. They decide to call wildlife rehabbers expecting them to come to get the ducklings.
But wait, the rehabber doesn’t want them, either. Their job is to rehabilitate wildlife and then release it back into the wild. But the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission won’t let them release the ducklings back into the wild once they’re grown because the Muscovy breed is considered to be an invasive species. The rehabbers could keep the ducks once they’re grown, but they don’t want to; it’s not their job.
So, the vet is stuck with the cute, little fluffballs. Since the wildlife rehabbers don’t want them, their only option is to euthanize them.
That’s right; they kill them . . . for existing.
Confused and Frustrated? “That can’t be right,” you say. “It’s not the little things’ fault they were born and lost their mom. There’s got to be another place where they can go.”
Enter the Muscovy Sanctuary of Florida, a place where Muscovy ducklings can safely grow and thrive without the fear of being killed. We are a non-profit organization created to take in those Muscovy ducklings that veterinarians and wildlife rehabbers don’t want.
Who Are We?
We are a rescue that has been percolating since 2018 amongst people who have been trying to keep the ducklings alive amidst the difficulties mentioned above. Our job is getting harder and harder to do, so we’re ready to move on to the next step: raising support of both money for land and volunteers to help us create the safe haven that is so desperately needed.
Help Us Help the Muscovies
So, tell your friends about us and help us spread the word!
If you have questions about our plans, text/call Gail Dixon, our duckling mama, at (813) 616-9639.
