Cheyenne's Rescue  

 

 

Cheyenne is a beautiful young adult female Khaki Campbell duck, rescued on Town Lake in Austin, Texas, by four volunteers on January 19, 2001.

 

Dennis Ellington and I, volunteers with Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, along with Mike Quinn and Scott Haywood (of the Travis Audubon Society) worked together to capture the injured duck. Dennis was able to safely catch the duck in a net while she was on land. She had a three-pronged barbed fishing lure stuck in her beak and tongue, and she was bleeding from the mouth. Fishing line was wrapped tightly around her neck. She had been unable to eat or drink for probably 48 hours, and she was weak and terrified. Dennis was able to push the hook through Cheyenne's tongue enough to cut off the barb. (The hook cannot be pulled backwards because the barb will do considerable damage: rescuers should push barbed hooks forward enough to cut the barb.) After several minutes, we were able to remove the hooks and fishing line from the duck.

 

(pictured left: Cheyenne washes off) We put her in a box with a towel, and I brought her home to a warm bathroom. I filled the bathtub up about 6 inches with lukewarm water, and Cheyenne was able to bathe and drink water. She was still bleeding from the mouth and she was swallowing blood. She was not eating, probably because she was still in pain, nervous, and nauseated from swallowing blood. She bathed, preened a little, and then rested. After she was settled, I put her in a comfortable kennel and drove her up to Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, near Dallas, Texas.

 

(right: Kathy meets her new patient) By the time Cheyenne arrived, she was looking much better. The bleeding had stopped, and she was able to open and shut her beak without difficulty. 

(left: Kathy, Cheyenne, and Penny) The exceptionally beautiful duck quickly won the hearts of Kathy Rogers (founder of Rogers Wildlife) and Penny Halstead, a charming volunteer with really good duck karma!

Kathy examined the duck and found injuries to her beak, tongue, and left eye, along with a few snapping turtle injuries to her left foot. Since Cheyenne was unable to eat by herself, Kathy tube-fed her and gave her a dose of antibiotics. She will be on antibiotics for five days, while stabilizing in an indoor protected kennel. (right: the hook tore Cheyenne's tongue and pierced her beak, leaving a gaping hole underneath)

(left: Cheyenne watches while Penny tends to a young ducklet with an eye infection) On Saturday morning, the following day, Kathy tube-fed Cheyenne again. Kathy was happy to notice that Cheyenne was beginning to eat on her own and seemed to be feeling better.

When she is ready, she will be placed in a pen with a few other ducks. The pen is an L-shaped duck pen: a 12x6 run with an in-ground pool attached to a 6x6 pen with shavings for sleeping quarters.

After Cheyenne adjusts to the new atmosphere and heals up completely, she will be released on the large lake at Rogers Wildlife, where she will join numerous other ducks of all kinds, including several handsome Khaki Campbells, who will most likely notice her magnificent plumage.