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Ducks
always appear to be smiling...
Even when they have so little to
smile about.
We give
ducks and geese a reason to smile!
One of the
LARGEST sanctuaries in the U.S. ENTIRELY devoted
to domestic ducks & geese!
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Experienced Domestic Duck & Goose
Rescuers |
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Knowledgeable Care
Providers |
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Access
to Top-Notch Vet Care |
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Serving
The Best Waterfowl Diet on The Market |
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Along
With The Full Royal Treatment! |
Ducklings and goslings are often purchased in
the Spring, especially around Easter time. Many
families are not prepared for their quick
maturity. They are not clean indoor pets and
families frequently decide that they do not fit
into their lifestyle. Not sure what to do with
their pet, they drop them off on local ponds.
Ducks and geese are domestic animals. They have
been bred to depend entirely upon our care. They
can live anywhere from 8-15 years, sometimes
even longer when properly protected in safe pens
and maintained on healthy diets. When abandoned,
many do not survive their first winter.
Predators like owls, coyotes, dogs, raccoons and
foxes, make quick work of these non-flying,
defenseless birds. Many of them even succumb to
acts of cruelty by humans. In addition, domestic
waterfowl can not fly over land obstacles and
often stumble and suffer serious hip, leg and
foot injuries--breaks and dislocations.
During the summer, park visitors unknowingly
feed these ducks unhealthy food items like
bread, chips, pastries and cereal instead of
specifically designed duck food. These snacks
fill up their bellies and discourage them from
foraging for healthier foods. The result of this
dietary inadequacy is malnutrition, which in
turn can lead to deteriorated feather quality
and even lameness.
When domestic ducks and geese breed with their
wild counterparts, their offspring are usually
flightless and unable to migrate as well. This
increases the population of non-migrating birds
on ponds. Eco-systems rely on the natural
recovery period that comes when wild ducks and
geese migrate away; having non-flying ducks and
geese on ponds interferes with nature's agenda.
In addition, these flightless ducklings and
goslings are exposed to the same dangers as
their domestic parent.
Those that survive the summer begin to face
starvation in the fall as natural food sources
like grass and pond organisms diminish. When
winter comes, their ponds freeze over and they
cannot fly away like their wild counterparts.
Their food sources have completely vanished and
they are trapped on the ponds to which they were
abandoned.
These abandoned pets sit out on the freezing water in a
desperate attempt to avoid onshore predators.
They try to stay awake, plucking away at the ice
that is forming around their bodies until they
cannot help but succumb to sleep. Once
unconscious, the ice encroaches around them and
they become trapped--frozen in place. Some die
of exposure to the cold while others find
themselves helplessly faced with predators,
which venture out onto the ice. It is a vile and
inhumane death.
Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary is the only animal
shelter in New England entirely dedicated to the
care of domestic ducks and geese, and one of
only a handful of these exclusive shelters found
in the entire country. These are companion
animals with emotions. They are traumatized when
abandoned by their families, and they need our
help and care. Ultimately, they need yours too. |
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Our
Mission
 Our mission at Majestic Waterfowl
Sanctuary is to stop the vicious cycle of waterfowl
abandonment.
Through rescue, rehabilitation,
placement and education, we do everything we can to
prevent the inhumane physical and emotional
traumatization and death of these former pets--first at
a local level here in Connecticut, and ultimately at a
national level.
We humanely capture abandoned domestic
ducks and geese and bring them into our sanctuary for
care and medical treatment. Once physically and
emotionally healthy, we do everything we can to find
them safe, loving and permanent new homes.
How It All Began...
In November of 2004, Kim & Tony Link and
a handful of volunteers embarked on several rescue
missions to humanely capture a group of abandoned ducks
on Spaulding Pond at Mohegan Park in Connecticut. The
ducks were dumped there early summer by families who
grew tired of their no longer small and fuzzy Spring
Easter ducklings. With winter around the corner, the
rescue team needed to remove the near dozen Pekin ducks
from the pond to prevent them from dying of starvation,
cold exposure and predatory attacks.
After a series of visits to the pond, in
which many hours were spent rounding up the elusive
ducks, the crew managed to rescue all but a couple of
the Pekins who disappeared before they could be safely
removed from the hazardous area.
Although the rescue operation was
largely a success, Kim knew that the root of the problem
needed to be eliminated or the issue would resurface
again the following year. It was then that she decided
to establish a sanctuary and rescue organization that
would address this problem and provide a safe haven for
those ducks and geese that were left to fend for
themselves by their owners. Thus, Majestic Waterfowl
Sanctuary was hatched.
Life at Majestic
At Majestic, we fulfill the needs of
abandoned waterfowl. They receive vet care, top notch
diets, fresh water and ponds to swim on. They thrive in
grassy pens with shade trees and cozy duck houses. We
list them on our adoption pages and help find new homes
for them. We screen perspective homes carefully to
ensure that they will be going to thoroughly prepared
families with safe, predator-proof pens, and full
awareness of the responsibilities of waterfowl
ownership.
Make a Donation to Our Organization
We are recognized 501(c)(3) organization
and always in need of financial donations.
It's your help that makes everything we do possible! Our
staff members do not draw salaries of any kind--we are
comprised entirely of volunteers. This means your
donations go a long way in assisting the ducks and geese
here as well as helping to make room for those who are waiting to come in.
The more assistance we get from you, the more assistance
we can provide to the ducks and geese that so
desperately need our help. There are two ways to donate:
Online via PayPal or
by mail. Supply donations
are always welcome. Please visit our
Wish List for items we are
currently in need of.
Adopt a Duck or Goose
 If
you have room in your heart and a safe home for a feathered
friend or two, consider adopting one of our rescues. We
invite you to fill out our online Adoption Application.
Important information and requirements as well as
our Adoption Application can be found on our
Adoption Page. Please consider our
requirements carefully before completing an
application for adoption. We require predator proof pens
for all of our waterfowl--no free range homes please!
Sponsor a Duck or Goose
No room in your home for a new family member? Consider sponsoring! Sponsorships
are $25 for three months.
Sponsors receive a welcome
letter, a certificate of sponsorship and a whole bunch
of ducky goodies
delivered in a golden gift tube; plus, we list your name
on the
Sponsor Hall of Fame page. For more information on
sponsoring please visit our
Sponsoring Page.
Except where otherwise indicated, all
material contained within this website is copyrighted. © Majestic
Waterfowl Sanctuary 2005 |
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