Brooklyn, New York – A desperate baby duck in an NYC park chased several pedestrians at a brisk pace at the end of June. Some even quickened their steps to shake the poor animal off. What was behind it later emerged – and has been breaking hearts online ever since.
The tragic truth is that the baby duck was domestic and had been abandoned in the park by her owners.
As a domestic duck, she is completely unable to fend for herself in the wild.
"To the people who dumped this imprinted domestic duckling in @prospect_park late Sunday afternoon and walked away as he or she probably tried to run after you, we have two words for you. And they aren’t happy birthday!" wrote the Instagram account @wildforprospectpark in a viral post.
"You left this baby for dead, panicked and looking for you," they added, noting that dumping an animal can earn you a fine over $1,000.
The post further clarified that the people shown in their video did not dump the duck.
"We spoke to a few people who said they saw the duckling roaming an hour or so before these people took this video," the account said.
According to them, this was the second duckling dumped in a local park recently.
"Stop dumping animals!!!! It’s illegal and it is inhumane," they added.
The people who were called in to rescue the bird later spoke to The Dodo about the duck, who was later named Rudy.
Is Rudy the duckling okay after her difficult ordeal?
"People were running away … not realizing it was just a baby looking for help," Mary Beth Artz of They All Want To Live told The Dodo.
Artz learned about the incident after several passersby alerted the Wild Bird Fund.
The organization then notified the animal‑rights activist, who soon set out with a friend.
"When I got the call, my heart sank," she said.
"It is nonstop with domestic ducks being dumped in city parks."
Since the duck was actively looking for a kind person to help her, it was no problem at all to approach the animal.
"It was an easy rescue because [she] was so conditioned to people," Artz recalled. "I just picked [her] up."
Shortly afterward, Rudy was already safe and sound in the home of her rescuer.
She couldn’t stay there forever, though, so Artz got in touch with a colleague of hers. Fortunately, she was able to give the green light on short notice.
"She will have a human family who will love her forever," Artz assured. "And another imprinted duck for a best friend."