Connecticut Non-Profit organization dedicated to finding homes for abandoned waterfowl.
For more information please visit: www.majesticwaterfowl.org

Our Mission: To Stop the Cycle of Abandonment

The ducklings and goslings most often purchased at Easter time are Pekins and Embdens. Ducklings and goslings mature rapidly -- in about 8-12 weeks. Many people who purchase ducklings and goslings in the Spring when they are tiny and fuzzy find out by Summertime that they grow into large birds that are far from low maintenance. What begins as a whimsical purchase, quickly turns disastrous when people realize the type of provisions required to care for mature ducks and geese. Unable to properly care for them, most people simply find a local pond, creek, or waterway and drop the birds off there, mistakenly thinking they are doing them a favor by "setting them free" into their natural habitat.

The flaw in such reasoning is that domesticated ducks are just that: domesticated. This means they do not have the genetic programming or the skills needed to survive for long in the wild. The critical difference between domesticated ducks and geese and their wild counterparts is they cannot fly. Because of this, most abandoned domesticated ducks and geese die within weeks of being dumped by their owners. Some are killed and eaten by predators, others die slowly of starvation, and others die of diseases contracted from resident wildlife. Those that make it to Winter are often unable to survive low temperatures and sometimes freeze to death, suffer severe frostbite and lose limbs or part of their beaks, or literally freeze to ponds and lakes that have iced over. The lifespan of properly cared for domesticated ducks and geese is from 10-25 years. In fact, we know of a goose that is over 30 years old! So it is clear that our local ponds and lakes are not the best environment for these intelligent and magnificent creatures.

This sort of thing happens year-round on ponds, creeks, and lakes everywhere. Our mission here at the Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary is to stop this vicious cycle of abandonment and death -- first at the local level here in Connecticut and ultimately at the national level through rescue, rehabilitation, placement, and education. If we find a duck or goose that is abandoned, we humanely capture it and bring it to our sanctuary for care and medical treatment. Once it is physically and emotionally healthy, we do everything we can to find it an appropriate and permanent home.