Domestic ducks at Delhi Park, some injured, will be rescued by northern Ohio nonprofit

Annasofia Scheve, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
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This domestic Muscovy duck is one of the 20 to 30 waiting to be rescued from Delhi Park.
This domestic Muscovy duck is one of the 20 to 30 waiting to be rescued from Delhi Park.

Rescue is on the way for the 30 domestic ducks abandoned at Delhi Park.

Nonprofit Mid Ohio Waterfowl Rescue based in Shelby, near Mansfield, has scheduled a date to pick up the ducks, according to owner and operator Lisa Montgomery.

Domestic ducks aren't able to survive on their own in the wild because they are too large to fly from cold weather and don't have access to the specific diet they require as meat-bred ducks.

The organization does not want to reveal the exact date of the rescue, but it will happen by the end of the summer, according to Delhi Township Administrator Skylor Miller.

Jimmy Longbottom, owner of the Cincinnati-based waterfowl rescue Longbottom Bird Ranch, brought attention to the problem at Delhi Park in July and started a GoFundMe for the ducks' rescue.

More: Bird ranch runs campaign to save domestic ducks abandoned at Delhi Park

He suspected the proliferation of domestic ducks dumped at the park was due to a nearby Tractor Supply store that sells ducklings.

Longbottom said that he was informed through an email that Delhi Park had decided to go with a then-unnamed nonprofit, so he took down the GoFundMe and forfeited the land he planned to rent to house the extra 30 ducks.

"I just want them to go someplace," he said.

According to Longbottom, there are seven different breeds of domestic ducks living at Delhi Park, including these domestic American Pekins.
According to Longbottom, there are seven different breeds of domestic ducks living at Delhi Park, including these domestic American Pekins.

Longbottom received reports over the past few weeks that the ducks had not yet been rescued and that some were suffering from injuries.

When he visited Delhi Park Tuesday, he saw one duck with a fishhook in its bill, one with a limp and some with damaged wings.

Miller said that Mid Ohio Waterfowl Rescue has already done an initial assessment and picked up a few ducks that were injured.

"We've done our due diligence," Miller said.

Longbottom wishes Delhi Township would have been more transparent about if and when a rescue was occurring.

"Hopefully it's sooner than later," he said.

A spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources confirmed that domestic duck rescues have historically fallen under the jurisdiction of cities or townships as opposed to the state.

Delhi Township plans to release information about the rescue plan on Facebook, Miller said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Domestic ducks at Delhi Park will be rescued by end of summer