Ducklings not abandoned, says SPCA

NOT ALONE: Ducklings swim in the stream at Robinson Reserve. PHOTO/CHERIE TAYLOR

A duckling may look abandoned but its mother is probably just hiding from humans, an SPCA inspector says.

In the past two weeks, more than a dozen ducklings have been taken to the Wairarapa SPCA by people who found them apparently abandoned and alone.

This large brood have been passed on to a veterinarian to be hand-raised before being released on to a pond in a rural area.

Wairarapa SPCA inspector Lesley Gibson said if people came across ducklings seemingly abandoned they needed to just observe the birds rather than gathering them up.

"We've had heaps and heaps come in the last few weeks. It's sad ... most of the time they haven't been abandoned it's just the mother has been frightened off and is hiding," she said. "Ducklings aren't afraid so they won't hide."

If touched by humans, the mother could reject her ducklings, she said.

"People shouldn't touch them. Just watch them from a distance for a while and if the mother doesn't come back, ring us. We'll send someone out to check it out."

There were many ducks breeding in suburban areas, including near the stream in Robinson Reserve by The Farriers.

If you need to contact the SPCA regarding abandoned ducklings call (06) 377 1912.