I was at the sitting in my car at the gas station and I happened glance out my car window only to see a solitary little duckling on the sidewalk hiding by the propane tanks. I looked around to see if there was a mother or any other babies lurking around and I saw none at all. So I jumped out and cornered the little guy between the tanks and a pile of firewood and snatched him up . I ran back to my car and drove home. As soon as I got home, I right away got a shallow dish of water and put it in a box. I put the duckling in the box and he immediately jumped in the water and drank. I bet he was dehydrated . I remember that day was around 100 degrees outside. Unfortunately, I could not have ducks in my apartment (as much as I wanted to keep it) , so I called a wildlife rehabilitation center. I asked them if I could bring a duckling there that same day. They said that they actually had a few ducklings already there and that they could raise the one that I found with those ones.
I picked the duck up and wrapped it with a towel to try and soothe it. I kept staring at it and pet its tiny little head. I could tell it was getting use to me and knew I was not going to hurt it. I went to put it back in the box to get ready to bring it to the center and of course all it wanted was for me to hold it. It chirped and chirped til I picked it back up. Great! What did I start now? I held it a bit longer and I looked down into it's eyes and those gleaming little eyes stared straight back at mine. I felt like I already had a bond with this little duckling. The center was closing soon so I knew I had to leave. I put the duck in a shoe box with holes in the side and asked my boyfriend to ride along with so he could hold the box while I drove. The ride to the center was a little tough. The duckling kept chirping and sticking its beak through the holes of the box so I told my boyfriend to maybe take the duckling out and just hold it. The duck didn't want anything to do with him so it really started chirping and trying to get away. So I grabbed the duck and sure enough....it sat there. I glanced down, while at a stop light, and watched as its head cocked up to make sure it had full view of me. I never realized how precious one tiny, little, creature could be.
We pulled up to the rehabilitation center and walked inside. I said my goodbye to the little duckling and handed it to the guy at the front desk. All I could hear was my little duck chirping and chirping as the employee brought it to the back room. My heart melted and I actually teared up. How could such a small animal have such a large affect on me?
I then vowed I would never eat meat. Every creature big or small has it's own personality and emotion. I couldn't believe that I have actually eaten duck before as well! How could anyone eat something so sweet and precious? That duckling made a huge impact on my life. It is almost like a spiritual feeling. I look at animals differently now. I think of each one as it's own unique being. Not just a cow or just a pig. If you look straight into their eyes you will see how innocent and special these creatures really are. Take time to enjoy the special gifts they bring to us.
"Until one has loved an animal,
a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
~Anatole France
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