A Calgary couple is trying to determine who might be missing a domesticated duck after discovering it in their alleyway earlier this week.
“I was just coming home as I usually do down the alley and I just caught it out of the corner of my eye,” Perry Hancock explained. “I realized that it didn’t belong there.”
Hancock spotted the bird on Tuesday night behind his home in the 2800 block of 46 Street S.E. and said he knew he had to help the animal out with the temperatures plummeting.
“It just walked ahead of me and I started making funny duck sounds,” Hancock said. “I pressed the door opener, then I closed the garage, and that’s when I called Diana and said ‘I’m going to need your help here.'”
Hancock’s partner, Diana McKnight, said she was not expecting to see an unusual looking duck waddling around in her garage.
“I was shocked and surprised”, McKnight said. “I was like, ‘Okay, how did the duck get here?’”
Hancock and McKnight said the bird appeared to have an injury to its wing and foot, and had a black band around its leg.
The couple eventually managed to get the bird into a kennel in their house usually reserved for their dogs and said the duck settled in for the evening.
Hancock said he was determined to find out where the duck came from and after doing some research and speaking with his son who owns several birds said they determined it was a Muscovy Duck.
“I knew right away that it was somebody’s bird, so I put it on Facebook to hopefully get somebody’s feedback, or ‘That’s our neighbour’s duck’ or whatever,” Hancock said. “One individual reached out to us and he’s just a super, super guy.”
That individual was Mark Powers with Cobb’s Adventure Park. The organization cares for exotic animals that are no longer wanted by their owners.
“It was good that they grabbed it,” Powers said. “Wild ducks would usually hide or get into an area where it’s warm.”
“Because it is domesticated it would have went somewhere and could have froze to death.”
Powers believes the female duck was likely used for breeding or its eggs and now plans on introducing it to the rest of the animals at Cobb’s once it’s finished its health check and quarantine.
“Part of the exotic animal rescue is teaching people that if they’re getting an exotic animal and what it takes to care for them, versus ‘Oh it looks real cool’ and then three months later ‘I don’t know what I’m doing,’” Powers said.
Hancock and McKnight said they’re relieved the duck is getting a second chance, but believe there could be more out there after a neighbour posted a picture of several of the birds hiding under a vehicle.
Hancock said if he spots the ducks he’s happy to try and help them, but he’s not getting too attached. He explained he even refused to give the duck he rescued a name.
“I promised the dogs that we’re not naming it — it’s not staying,” he said. “The dogs were a little perplexed about what we’re bringing in the house.”
Meanwhile, City of Calgary spokesperson Kaila Lagran said the discovery is very unusual for Calgary.
“We only have one duck permit for the entire City,” Lagran said after consulting with bylaw officers. “Our system does not show any permitted ducks in that area.”
Lagran said if more ducks are found Calgarians can call 311 to file a complaint.“Once that complaint is created, the zone officer would investigate and issue all appropriate orders.”
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