SPONSOR a WATERFOWL
Sponsoring a waterfowl rescue is one of the best ways to support our ongoing work to provide a lifetime of care and love to abused and neglected farm animals.
Caring for farm animals can be expensive when you add up the costs of food, shelter, supplements, enrichment, bedding and other standard supplies. This does not include medications or veterinary visits. Your monthly donations will cover all of the basic necessities that each of our amazing animals need.
Sponsors will receive a full animal biography; photos, videos, and annual updates; and a cumulative year-end receipt for your tax-deductible donations.
Your sponsorship provides a steady stream of support and budget relief that allows West Place to continue welcoming needy animals to our sanctuary. We appreciate your help!
Duck Rescues
You can sponsor one of our ducks for $25 a month, which provides them with grain, corn for foot health, monthly deworming, and treats. In addition to these basics, we are always seeking funding for medications and vet visits.
WE ARE SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO HELP DOMESTIC DUCKS AGAIN!
Kingston
This sweet boy had a rough start to life, for sure. After a homeowner passed away, the neighbors heard a noise and went to investigate. They found this handsome guy who had been hatched under the porch and mother was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately all of the ducklings besides him had passed away. This lucky boy ultimately found his way to us and we'll make sure his life turns around!
Max
Max is a Jumbo Pekin who joined us in June of 2023. He arrived around the same time we took in six ducklings and they are all getting along great so far!​ Max is a gentle giant and he enjoys interacting with humans and birds. His best friend is Marty, the small Call Duck, making them quite the pair.
Marty is a tiny Call Duck with an oversized personality. He is friendly, funny, and very fond of his ladies. Marty was found by a couple of surfers on a beach in Newport. As it so happens, one of the surfers is married to one of our amazing volunteers. After a brief stay in their home and field trips to work, Marty came to West Place to claim his title as "most adorable duck." Keep up the good work, Marty!
Marty
Erna
Erna is SO special to us! She is the only 'original' animal still with us from the beginnings of West Place when we opened our doors in 2007. Erna has helped raise hundreds of rehabilitated waterfowl, eventually becoming a mother to her very own duckling in 2022! With her daughter, Sesame, and her mate, Duncan, Erna spends her peaceful days enjoying blueberries and keeping an eye on the happenings here at West Place. Despite all the ups and downs, Erna keeps going strong!
Sesame is a true miracle! Her momma, Erna, fostered wild babies for us for a long time and then at almost 15 years old, she laid an egg! Incredibly, it was fertilized and even though we don't breed animals here, Erna deserved her own baby and we wanted someone to carry on her amazing legacy of being the only surviving rescue from the start of our organization. Sesame may not look like her mom, but her quack is identical! She's a spunky little girl with a big personality!
Sesame
Buffy was one of six lucky ducklings who almost didn't make it. She and her siblings were purchased at a big box supply store and later that very same day (yes, you read that right) they were already unwanted and neglected. Ducklings must be fed every few hours and this group had not eaten all day. We were called and given an ultimatum: take these ducklings today (by 5PM) or they are not going to survive the night.
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Buffy got the care she needed at West Place to grow up to be big, strong, and healthy. Although no longer a duckling, she is still a cutie.
Buffy
R.J.
With striking resemblance to a former duck rescue named Rocky, this exquisite duck was named Rocky, Jr. or R.J. He is another one of the
six lucky ducklings who were purchased at a big box supply store in the morning and were unwanted and neglected by the afternoon.
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R.J. is easy-going and laid back. He doesn't mind being held and he loves to dig for worms with his brothers and sisters.
Ganache is one of six lucky ducklings who were purchased at a big box supply store and were unwanted and neglected later that same day. Ganache was almost indistinguishable from three of the other chocolate brown ducklings, but as he matures his unique features are starting to stick out. He has the tell-tale drake curl on his tail feathers and a slightly iridescent green head. Aside from looks, we can tell Ganache apart from the others based on his behaviors.
Ganache
Truffle
Truffle has an ever-so-faint white stripe on the front of her neck. She loves spending time with her sisters and is getting muddy.
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Truffle came to West Place with her five siblings who were purchased from a supply store. They were neglected and unwanted after only a few hours and would not have survived much longer without proper care and nutrition.
Fudgie is another one of the ducklings who were raised at West Place after being neglected immediately upon purchase at a big box supply store. We made sure Fudgie and her siblings received the proper care and nutrition they needed since they got off to a rough start.
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When people don't think before they act or don't consider the consequences of their actions, it places an additional burden on sanctuaries like ours. Fortunately for sweet Fudgie, she found a safe haven and will live a charmed life at West Place.
Fudgie
Bean
The last of the duckling, and the smallest, is Bean. She may be small but we know that big personalities come in small packages.
Bean and her siblings are very lucky to have found their way to West Place, since they were not being fed or cared for properly as babies. We made sure they had a proper diet so they would grow up to be healthy and happy, but that's just the beginning. Bean will require a lifetime of care and we hope you'll sponsor her and be part of her journey.
We thought we'd seen some large ducks in our time, but then we met Kevin. This poor guy was dumped at a pond where domestic ducks CANNOT survive. In fact, three other ducks who were abandoned along with Kevin were not as fortunate. Thankfully, a Good Samaritan was able to capture Kevin and hold him in quarantine for two weeks so he could safely come to West Place.
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Kevin has made fast friends with the other Pekins. He's still a little nervous around people but we think he'd love to have a sponsor to help him enjoy a happy life at the sanctuary.
Kevin
Lucky and Lady and one of our unique pairings, one being a wild mallard and one a domestic Indian Runner. Lucky had gotten hit by a car and ended up on someone's doorstep in Newport. Brought here for rehabilitation, we expected that if he survived, he would eventually be able to leave. Though his ability for flight returned, he never left. We think he got sweet on Lady. To see him stand guard to protect her while she naps (even though he is half her size) is heartwarming. Who needs to watch The Bachelor, when we have couples like these two?!
Lucky & Lady
Brinks (left) is the duck who almost wasn't. One day our ED heard a faint peeping and went to investigate, only to find a lone, random egg with a crack in it. Warm to the touch, she realized there was a bird having trouble getting out. She gently opened the egg to reveal a wet, tiny duckling. Not sure the troubled little one would make it through the night, Brinks turned into a big, handsome guy. Long-time single, his life changed when the Westport case brought us Girlie. They have been inseparable for years, and we hope they have many more great years together ahead.
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Girlie & Brinks
Buddy & Iris
Buddy (right) came to us after someone heard a pained quacking and found him in a stream...with one of his feet caught between two boulders as the water level was rising. Though he lost a part of his foot, he kept his life. While in sick bay, he met Oreo who decided she wanted to help us take care of Buddy and she coupled up with him until she passed. Buddy was in mourning for years until Iris came. Iris was born with a deformed foot and was cast aside by a breeder in an enclosure without proper care or the company of other ducks. When she arrived filthy and terrified Buddy fell in love...for the second time. And Iris has blossomed into a joyful, confident girl who takes great pleasure in life and doesn't let her foot slow her down!
When Drake's (right) wife passed, his owners called us frantic because he wasn't eating and was pulling his own feathers out. They didn't know how to handle the situation and though we do not take animals from the general public we were really worried about this guy and made an exception. He has since found love again with sweet little Cookie!​
Cookie came to us many years ago from the wildlife clinic and was very broody and independent before meeting Drake but now they are inseparable and the rest is history!
Cookie & Drake
Also from the wildlife clinic, we were happy to help out by taking in this pekin and his mate, Splishy (RIP). Splashy got his name when one of our volunteers gave a school presentation to a class that ran a fundraiser for us. These days Splashy can be found looking over "the chocolate family," a group of brown ducks that he helped raise from the time they were just a few weeks old.
Splashy
Peach is quite the fighter! She lived in a backyard coop with her siblings, until one by one they were taken by predators or illness. Her owners purchased two more ducks so she wouldn't be lonely but sadly they suffered the same fate as her siblings. Not wanting the same for her, the family reached out to West Place in hopes of finding her a safe home with lots of friends. Peach is no longer living in fear and is now free to spend her time doing duck things with her new friends!
Peach
Midge was brought to us after being found with angel wing. Angel wing is a disease that causes the wing to grow in the wrong direction, preventing a bird from flying. This is typically caused when the bird is fed a high-calorie diet such as bread and crackers when it's still growing. Midge would have been euthanized had we not taken her as she cannot survive in the wild. Although it was an adjustment for her, Midge is now enjoying the pond with the rest of our mallards!
Midge
Muscovy Rescues
Muscovies are interesting ducks. They seem part waterfowl and part turkey. They like dirt baths as much as water. They are fully flighted but usually choose to walk. They don't quack and their voice only sounds like a hiss.
You can sponsor one of our Muscovies for $25 a month, which provides them with grain, corn for foot health, monthly deworming, and treats. In addition to these basics, we are always seeking funding for medications and vet visits.
A very long time ago, we rescued a Muscovy we called Cocoa (RIP). One day she flew off--not surprising as they are technically wild and the females often take off. About six weeks later, Cocoa came walking up the driveway, with six little ones in tow! Momma is one of those babies, who along with her brothers Spot, Snowy, Stripe, Lacy, and Tux decided they were staying at West Place.
Momma
Little Girl
Babies rarely get born here, as our mission is to rescue, not to breed. But every once in a while a determined duck hides an egg or two so well that we don't find them until we see some little puffballs walking around. Little Girl here is Momma's little girl. Though we wish Momma wasn't so sneaky, we do love her awesome daughter.
Chase was hanging out at a marina when a family saw him and noticed his wings were clipped. They realized he was likely a pet that was dumped there and they started putting food out for him twice a day, but the marina started telling the family they wanted him gone. Concerned the marina would find a non-humane way to stop him from coming on their property, the family brought Chase here to ensure he able to live his best life. Now, Chase loves his new home and can often be seen hanging out with "his ladies" Momma and Little Girl.
Chase
R.W. was dumped outside of Roger Williams Park Zoo. They do not like when that happens and they take steps to try to prevent that since the animal can easily get hit by a car. And the zoo won't take in domestic animals, so they reached out to us to see if we could help them out. We really wish people wouldn't dump animals, especially when there are organizations that can help. We were happy we got to help R.W.!
R.W.
Oli came to us from the Wild Bird Fund. Someone brought this little one, thinking she was an abandoned wood duckling, but she's a Muscovy. As WBF is a wildlife rehabilitation facility, they do not have the room or staff to adopt and raise domestics, so they reach out to many organizations, like us, for help. We're happy we could raise this little cutie.
Oli
Geese Rescues
You can sponsor one of our geese for $30 a month, which provides them with grain, corn for foot health, monthly deworming and treats. In addition to these basics, we are always seeking funding for medications and vet visits.
Sam
This one-of-a-kind goose is our first-ever graylag. One of our volunteers dubbed him Sam Sweaterneck. But then Sam started fostering and mothering wild babies for us and we were convinced he was a she until Sam started displaying male behaviors. Either way, Sam is an amazing foster and we honestly couldn't do it all without him!
Andy originally came to us very young as a "failure to thrive case" when his mother rejected him. Upon closer inspection, we discovered he was blind as he had been born without eyes. Because of this and his angel wing (a deformed wing that prevents him from flying) he was deemed non-releasable. Andy is our sweetest goose and you can find him hanging out with the domestic ducks.
Andy
Bruce & Cybill
These two loud goofballs were dumped outside of Roger Williams Park Zoo after hours (on different days!). We don't even think they are related but they instantly bonded here with us and are thick as thieves. We quarantined them to make sure they did not have avian flu and now they love roaming freely and exploring the pond.
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When you visit West Place, chances are you will see (and hear) Bruce & Cybill first.
Bubbles
A family took in Bubbles when they realized she had angel wing, which prevented her from surviving in the wild. Although they tried to do the right thing to protect her, it is illegal to have wildlife at pets and so the Department of Environmental Management stepped in. She only had two choices: come to West Place or be euthanized. A caring wildlife rehabber brought her from the DEM to us and the rest is history! Bubbles is very social and has bonded to Twitch and Sam.