The Golly Project

Does your family include domestic ducks or geese? Do you know that if your pet duck becomes ill and requires blood work your vet will have to compare their results with those of their distant Mallard cousins? Worse yet, if your pet goose becomes ill, your vet may have no choice but to compare their blood work with those of swans!

Non-flying, domesticated waterfowl are not the same as their wild counterparts. Too many pets like Golly Gander have lost their lives due to the lack of relevant medical information available to veterinarians, but that’s all about to change.

Majestic Waterfowl Sanctuary is in the midst of organizing No Charge Blood Panel Testing for healthy domestic ducks and geese. More information to come in our May newsletter.

Dr. Otka of All Friends Animal Hospital is our vet of choice for this upcoming project. Special thanks to Dr. McGee of Collierville Animal Clinic in Tennesee for his contributions, as well as Antec Laboratories and the Garey Gaggle.

Blood Panel Results will be distributed directly into the hands of vets all across the country and together we will make a difference in the lives of our feathered friends.

Please Contact Us to participate in this vital survey.

The pet you help save could be your own.

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Spalding Fly Predators

It's time to purchase your fly predators!

These natural predators of house flies (and a few other species) are environmentally safe. You just sprinkle them around your duck and goose enclosures and let them do the rest. Results are amazing!

Just place your order now and receive your monthly packages until summer is over. Releasing a package of 5000 predators once-a-month handles our sanctuary's needs from April - September. Visit their Website to learn more.

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Muscovy Ducks

The regulations regarding the ownership and transfer of ownership of Muscovy ducks has changed effective 3/31/10. Any Muscovy ducks you owned prior to this date are grandfathered and perfectly legal, but going forward Muscovy ducks may not be purchased or adopted as pets, nor are families allowed to let them reproduce.

We are greatly disappointed that we may no longer rescue and adopt out these wonderful and sensitive birds and have contacted Dr. George T. Allen of the Division of Migratory Bird Management to explain why rescuers must continue to be allowed to remove Muscovy ducks from the wild and place them back into captive situations. We have also explained that being able to accept owner surrenders into shelters prevents their disposal onto public waterways. We are hoping we and other shelters are making some impact and that an amendment to this regulation will be made in the future.

Here is a brief summary of the ruling:

"We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, change the regulations governing control of introduced migratory birds. The muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) occurs naturally only in southern Texas. It has been introduced in other locations, where it is considered an invasive species that  sometimes creates problems through competition with native species, damage to property, and transmission of disease. We amend the regulations to prohibit sale, transfer, or propagation of muscovy ducks for hunting and any other purpose other than food production, and to allow their removal in locations in which the species does not occur naturally in the contiguous United States, Alaska, and Hawaii, and in U.S. territories and possessions. This requires revision of regulations governing permit exceptions for captivebred migratory waterfowl other than mallard ducks, and waterfowl sale and disposal permits, and the addition of an order to allow control of Muscovy ducks, their nests, and eggs. We also have rewritten the affected regulations to make them easier to understand."

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 21
[Docket Number FWS–R9–MB–2007–0017; 91200–1231–9BPP]
RIN 1018–AV34
Migratory Bird Permits; Control of Muscovy Ducks, Revisions to the Waterfowl Permit Exceptions and Waterfowl Sale and Disposal Permits Regulations
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

Special thanks to Michele for forwarding us this vital information and to Caroline for helping us find a new home in time for our dear Jack Frost.

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What You Need to Know About Down Feathers

To view a very informative article on live plucking and making good choices about your pillowy purchases, please Click Here.

A pop-up window asking you to subscribe to their articles may prevent you from reading the article online, but you can print up the article and read it in full from your printer without joining. It's an extra step, but well worth the effort.

Thank you Kimmy for forwarding us this information!

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The Garey Gaggle

We would like to extend a special thank you to some of our dearest supporters this month. We first heard from the Garey family a few years ago when they had a question about their own geese. They soon became avid supporters, steadfast volunteers and our dearest friends. In addition to helping us care for our rescued ducks and geese, they have also lent their unwavering support as we struggle through the emotional trials and tribulations that tend to occur when working to help so many abandoned animals.

In addition to everything else they have done for us, the Garey family has also recently donated camera equipment to our sanctuary. We would like to take this time to especially thank Mike for all of the time he has spent preparing this new system and for his devotion to helping us to further monitor and protect our beloved sanctuary and its residents. Thanks to Mike's tireless efforts, our supporters will soon be able to view our barn and pens online via our website!

The Garey family has also blessed our sanctuary by funding the adoption of Mac, Fanny and Dutch which included donations to cover a one-way rental car drive and airline tickets to get us back home. This funded journey also allowed us to reach another adopter and place Jetti, Joop! & Jack Frost into their new home as well.

Mac gives Jenn a hug of gratitude for his new home!

Mike, Jenn, Elizabeth, Kristina, Marylynne (and Pancho!), we simply cannot thank you enough for providing a wonderful home to our rescued waterfowl and providing them with a safe and forever home of their own. 

We would also like to extend a special welcome to their new goose Rosie who we helped rescue during our visit. Life & Happiness!

Jenn is also contributing to The Ultimate Pet Goose Guidebook, which will be available for purchase soon!