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Ducks recovering after dried-up pond rescue

Holly NicholsBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Allie Humphries Three ducks stand and rest inside a wire enclosure next to a small plastic pool. A wooden shelter is at the back of the pen, with food bowls visible in the foreground. The ducks are gathered closely.Allie Humphries
The three remaining ducks are recovering at MK Swan Rescue's foster care facility

Two ducks have died and three ducks are being looked after by a bird rescue centre after being recovered from a dried-up pond.

MK Swan Rescue CIC was called to the pond near Little Brickhill, in Buckinghamshire, on Saturday evening, by two walkers who had discovered five ducks encased in the mud.

Although all birds were recovered alive at the scene, two have since died from complications sustained from being trapped in the pond.

Allie Humphries, the Founder and Director of MK Swan Rescue CIC, said when she found the ducks, they were "caked in mud" and looked like they had been "turned to stone".

Allie Humphries Four mud-covered ducks are stuck in a mud-filled dried-up pond at night, illuminated by a bright light. Pieces of rubbish are visible in the muddy foreground.Allie Humphries
The five ducks looked like they had been stuck for "several days" according to Allie Humphries, the Founder and Director of MK Swan Rescue CIC

Humphries told the BBC she "just wasn't ready" for what she saw when she arrived at the pond and said she would "dread to think" how long the birds had been trapped, as the mud on their backs and heads was solid.

"They couldn't move their wings, they could hardly move at all - apart from their head," she added.

In a post on Facebook, MK Swan Rescue CIC described how the recovered ducks "were so thirsty that, while we were gently rinsing the heavy mud from around their bills, they were trying to drink the dirty rinse water".

It said it had received "multiple reports this year from people worried about ponds drying up and birds being left without water".

Allie Humphries A close-up view inside a dark, enclosed container shows two wet ducks lying on a white, muddy surface. The ducks’ brown and grey feathers appear soaked and matted, with some green coloration visible on one wing. Mud and debris are splattered across the floor and sides of the container. The space appears cramped, with dark walls and a mesh-like fabric panel visible on the right side.Allie Humphries
Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service provided buckets of warm water for the birds at the scene

Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service assisted the recovery operation, with one crew from West Ashland and a water rescue team from Newport Pagnell in attendance.

The service said it used a "rescue sled to safely reach and recover the animals".

The operation took over three hours, and the surviving ducks were monitored and cared for throughout the night.

Humphries said two of the ducks seemed to be recovering well, but they are all still "skinny" and "absolutely terrified".

MK Swan Rescue is a CIC organisation which protects and cares for swans and waterfowl across Milton Keynes.

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