Waterfowl as a Gift is Always a Bad Idea

Letter to the Editor of the New London Day
Kim Link, President, Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary

Families often give ducklings and goslings as gifts only to discover later that these birds outgrow their homes in just weeks. They believe the solution is to discard these domestic, non-flying animals onto public ponds, but they don't understand that these birds cannot migrate and do not have the skills for surviving in the wild.

Most die of starvation, predation and frostbite, and many have to be chipped out of the ice and rescued after a cold, wintry night. Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary is the largest sanctuary in the United States solely dedicated to assisting homeless domestic ducks and geese. They deserve homes too. For information on how to help, log onto www.majesticwaterfowl.org.

Kimberly Link

Lebanon

Letter originally published in the New London Day, March 27, 2007