“We can always come back to the comfort of the warm house; the animals cannot.”
By Ashley Ortiz
Published on Feb 14, 2025 at 6:21 PM
It was a cold January evening in Michigan when Matthew Lyson and his wife, Theresa, received an urgent phone call. As the founders of Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary, the Lysons are used to people calling at all times of the day with rescue requests. And while they were hoping to spend a warm night at home, they knew whoever was on the other line needed their help immediately.
“We try to answer every chance we get because we know that helpless angels in need do not work on a time schedule, nor do they wait for normal living hours to require help,” Lyson wrote on Facebook.
When they answered, a woman on the other line named Pam described a heartbreaking scene. A gaggle of ducks sat abandoned near her home, huddled together while trying to survive the frigid temperatures.
Pam sent a video of the ducks to the Lysons, who wasted no time jumping in the car and racing to help them.
“It was just so sad, the neglected baker’s dozen were cuddled in a ball, just seeking community warmth,” Lyson wrote.
The Lysons drove 45 minutes to where the ducks had been abandoned, calling some of their volunteers for help. Unfortunately, their volunteers were already busy rescuing a needy coyote, but when the Lysons arrived at Pam’s house, there was already a group of people waiting to help.
“[W]e were happy to see several additional neighbors of Pam willing to assist,” Lyson wrote. “Again, it was so sad to just see [the ducks] there, barely 20 feet from two roads, in the dark and very cold night, literally starving to death in just over ‘feels like 13-degree’ temperature.”
As the Lysons surveyed the scene and came up with a rescue plan, Pam gave them the rundown on the ducks’ backstory.
“The approximately year-old ducks were abandoned from a nearby house, whose owners were no longer living there nor caring for them,” Lyson wrote. “They had apparently not had a substantive meal and water in at least ten days. Some thought others were caring for them, but they were not.”
Within minutes of arriving, the Lysons and their volunteers began their rescue mission. While they usually use nets to capture sitting ducks, they decided to start with a less conspicuous approach.
“Rather than bring out nets immediately and possibly startle them, we slowly set up two carriers closely together near the shivering angels and had everyone tighten the perimeter around them as we tried to gently [guide] them in,” Lyson wrote. “Most of the thirteen went in with little resistance, but of course, a small handful had to make us chase them a bit, but not too much, as even they knew it was too cold to play games.”
It didn’t take long for the Lysons and their eager team of volunteers to safely secure all the ducks. Lyson combed the surrounding area for any sign of more ducks, then got back in his truck and drove home with a new adorable gaggle in tow.
The gaggle of rescued ducks settled into Lyson’s sanctuary that evening, enjoying a delicious and hearty meal before snuggling up for a full night’s sleep in their warm barn.
It would’ve been easy for the Lysons to ignore their ringing phone that frigid night, but the selfless couple couldn’t bear the idea of leaving innocent ducks to fend for themselves. And thanks to their quick response, they now get to share their warm home with a group of babies who need it the most.
“We can always come back to the comfort of the warm house; the animals cannot,” Lyson wrote.
To help more ducks get the care they need, you can donate to Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary here.
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Woman Opens Her Cupboard And Finds A Wild Mama And Baby Snuggled Inside
“[She] could only see pointy ears and a curled up ball.”
The other day, a Melbourne, Australia, homeowner noticed some plaster dust on her stove. As the stove had been clean in the morning when she’d left the house, she was puzzled.
Investigating the source of the dust, the homeowner opened up the cabinet above her stove and was shocked by whom she found. Hiding in the corner of the cupboard, there was a furry possum.
The possum had likely climbed inside the roof to escape the hot day. When she hit the flimsy vent ducting, it couldn’t hold her weight, so she fell down into the cupboard and got stuck there.
“[The homeowner] could only see pointy ears and a curled up ball,” Meaghan Scott, volunteer at The Wildlife Rescuers, told The Dodo. “She quickly closed the cupboard … and called [us].”
Animal rescuer Jayde Cook arrived shortly. As soon as Cook opened the cupboard, he realized that there wasn’t one possum in the cupboard, but two: a mama and her baby.
Cook had only come prepared to rescue one possum. Thankfully, another rescuer, Dani Fatchen, was close by.
“[Fatchen] has a calm demeanor, and once she arrived, she took over,” Scott said. “With her calm approach, she was able to contain both possums and put them in carriers so they could be assessed and kept contained.”
The story of these possums serves as a great reminder to secure any gaps in your home animals might be able to enter through. If an animal becomes trapped, it can be very dangerous for them.
“I’ve attended cases where people have left windows open on hot days and discovered a possum in their bathroom or bedroom,” Scott said. “[M]ake sure you check for holes in your roof where a possum or other animal may enter.”
Thankfully, despite the ordeal they went through, these two possums were in great health.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2NmyS9BVgi/embed/?cr=1&v=14&wp=810&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedodo.com&rp=%2Fdaily-dodo%2Fwoman-opens-her-cupboard-and-finds-a-wild-mama-and-baby-snuggled-inside#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A16907.59999999404%2C%22ls%22%3A16226%2C%22le%22%3A16882.69999998808%7D
“They were kept in a calm, quiet, dark place to cool down,” Scott said.
It’s important to release possums back into the wild at night so that they don’t get picked on by birds or other predators. So that very same night, both possums were returned to their natural habitat.
“They were happy to be home in the wild,” Scott said.
To support other animals like this possum, you can make a donation to The Wildlife Rescuers here.
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