16 orphaned ducklings arrive at wildlife centre in 24 hours

A wildlife rehab centre just outside of Winnipeg has had 16 ducklings come in within the past 24 hours, and it's just the start of what the centre anticipates will be a busy season.

On Tuesday, a duck was hit and killed on Kenaston Boulevard while crossing with her ducklings.

Two bystanders were able to corral the ducklings and get them into a box until a volunteer with Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre could come pick them up.

Then, later in the evening, another batch of ducklings were found abandoned just as they began to hatch.

And Wednesday morning, "[Police officers] just found one while driving around and took it to our drop-off location," said Lisa Tretiak, president of Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

The centre now has a total of 16 most of which are just a few days old.

They'll spend the next five weeks at the rehab centre, first in a brooder with a heat lamp and water, then in a small pool of water and finally in an outdoor enclosure before they are released.

"Once all their feathers are in, we release them at a pond where there's not too many ducks, where they're not going to be competing too much but there's lots of duckweed and pond water for them," said Tretiak.

Last year, the rehab centre got 80 ducklings, and this year is already off to a busy start.

"They're just starting to hatch and mom is trying to take them from one location to another, so it isn't uncommon unfortunately for her to get hit, and we receive all these orphans," said Tretiak.

She said anyone who sees abandoned ducklings or goslings should do a quick survey to see if the family is nearby. "Anytime we see a duckling by itself, we really want to get it collected, put in a box and contact us right away. Small little ducklings cannot keep themselves warm or protected from predators," she said. "Same goes for goslings baby geese. If they don't have a family, look around to see if you can spot the family and try to reunite it."

Tretiak said ducklings are different from other young wildlife.

"The mom does play a very large role in raising them compared to a fawn or rabbits," said Tretiak, adding deer and rabbits spend most of their day away from their newborns and only return when its safe.

Those animals have their own camouflage and don't give off much of a scent to attract predators, she said.

She also urged people to be careful when driving and keep an eye out for ducks and ducklings waiting to cross roads.