Newborn Ducks Struggling After Boys Threw Rocks At Them
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4)- Two newborn ducklings are struggling to recover after two boys were throwing rocks at them and struck them.
The duck family had been swimming on a pond near 29th and Baseline Road in Boulder on Thursday.
"They like to swim on the pond. When my dog and I walk at night sometimes they're out there sleeping," said one neighbor.
Witnesses say they saw 12 and 13 year old boys were caught throwing rocks at a mother and her newborn ducklings.
They chased the boys away but the damage was already done to two ducklings.
They were able to capture two of the most injured ducklings and take them to the Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Longmont.
"We think they have head injuries, they're not able to balance," said Greenwood Wildlife Rehabilitation Center spokeswoman Amanda Manoa.
The ducklings are so fragile their caretakers whisper around them since loud noises seem to frighten them. They are being hand-fed every 40 minutes. Their caretakers are hoping to build up their strength.
"We'd like to have seen more progress by now but we just haven't," said Manoa. "We really don't know if they're going to make it or not."
The mother and her ducklings are no longer at the pond. Only a lone male duck is seen swimming around in the water.
"I didn't think people were capable of that kind of thing... sad," said one Boulder resident.
Animal control officers in Boulder are conducting an investigation on who is responsible for throwing rocks at the ducks.
