Reddit users are swooning over a tiny duckling that hatched from an abandoned egg and got cozy with the person who rescued it.
What happened?
Posted in the r/aww community, the clip drew over 56,000 upvotes and hundreds of comments. The poster explained: "Found a duck egg that had been left by a mama that didn't come back. Put in an incubator and it hatched!"
(Click here if the embedded video does not appear.)
The duckling appears comfortable, lightly pecking against their rescuer's neck and periodically pausing to clean itself.
Many viewers said the scene looked like imprinting, the bonding process in which a newly hatched bird attaches to the first caregiver it encounters.
Why does it matter?
Amid the flood of affectionate reactions, commenters also raised a more complicated point: helping a wild bird's egg can raise ethical questions and, in some situations, legal restrictions.
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For example, the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act generally makes it unlawful to possess wild waterfowl eggs without a permit. At the same time, an abandoned egg often has very little chance of surviving without intervention. The conversation also expanded to how people respond when they encounter vulnerable wildlife in yards, parks, and neighborhoods.
In this situation, some commenters urged the rescuer to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator so the duckling could be properly taken care of before its release.
What are people saying?
The overall tone of the thread was positive, with many jokingly congratulating the poster on his newfound fatherhood.
"If you're the first thing he saw, congratulations, you're the dad for life," wrote one user.
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Another said, "Congratulations duck dad!"
Others encouraged the original poster to conduct proper research and even suggested that raising a lone duck could do more harm than good.
"Do a lot of research on duck nutritional requirements! If you don't increase their protein at the correct times they can develop angel wing, which prevents them from flying!" advised one commenter.
"Just remember, ducks are extremely social animals, you should get at least a couple of other ducklings to keep it company unless you're planning to give it to a farm with ducks or something. They too can suffer from depression and anxiety, especially if they're alone," another pointed out.
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