Cape Town - A female Dutch Duck rescued by the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) after being struck by a vehicle on the N2 has found a home with a traffic cop and his wife and six other ducks.
Allan Perrins of the AWS was travelling along the N2 in Sir Lowry’s Pass when he noticed the duck sitting dazed and confused on the centre line.
Since Thursday’s incident, the duck has found a home with a traffic cop, Kenneth Kiewiet and his wife, who have six other ducks, and have named it Sally.
Perrins, who has years of experience rescuing animals, jumped into action and used extra precautions to save the duck.
He has advised people not to carry out rescuing of animals on National Roads if they are not experienced and ill-equipped.
Perrins took the animal to his workplace, the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa in Philippi, where he assessed it and noticed that both of its wings were clipped.
“She had been hit by a car and was found sitting injured and dazed on the centre line of the busy quadruple carriage N2 at the bottom of Sir Lowry's Pass,” said Perrins.
“The left side of her face and beak took the brunt of the knock, and she was covered in blood.
“Both of her wings had been clipped, so she was unable to fly out of harm's way as cars and trucks whizzed dangerously at high speed.”
Perrins said despite her injuries, no motorists stopped or took caution.
“Her obvious predicament and conspicuous injuries, including a puddle of bright red blood, made no difference to speeding motorists, one of whom was observed driving over her whilst switching lanes.
“Rescuing any animal from a National Road is extremely risky and should never be attempted by anyone inexperienced or ill-equipped as things can go horribly wrong, but thankfully, we were well-prepared and managed to safely pull over in a nearby lay-by, slow down the traffic and quickly pluck her to safety.”
Perrins said the animal might have suffered nerve damage
“Luckily, her injuries are not life-threatening,” he said.
“Her left eye, it seems, she sustained nerve damage, and it must be kept an eye on.”
Perrins told Weekend Argus he thought of including the duck to the flock they had at AWS but decided on Kiewiet.
Kiewiet said they already had six other ducks and introduced her to their flock.
“The first night went smoothly. We separated her and let her be with the two older ones,” said Kiewiet.
“She ate well and drank water.
“My wife is an animal lover, and we have named her Sally.”
Weekend Argus