Animal advocates ask not to gift chicks, ducks for Easter

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Whether it’s dyeing eggs or enjoying brunch whatever your Easter tradition may be, animal advocates are asking that gifting ducklings and chicks are not one of them.

​Susie’s Duck Sanctuary said they see it happen every year. The cute and fluffy animals are purchased on a whim, and treated like toys.

But then the animals grow up, and families don’t want them anymore so they are dumped at ponds or parks.

The lucky ones end up in a sanctuary, but many don’t survive.

“They’re great pets. They really are amazing, the problem is they grow up,” said Susie’s Duck Sanctuary Director Susan Wilkinson. “And everybody is so fascinated and loves the cute fluffy — and they grow up and become beautiful animals. But ducks are up to a 20-year commitment.”

Wilkinson said she has adoptable ducks at her Mililani sanctuary.

If a duck or chick is a must for a gift, Susie recommended stuffed animals instead.