They need homes! Nearly 100 ducks found outside Secaucus mall

SECAUCUS — Nearly 100 ducks dumped outside of a New Jersey mall and condominium complex are now in need of a home.

Barnyard Sanctuary, a farm animal adoption non-profit, has taken in the ducks, which were found on the grass outside of the Mill Creek Mall in Secaucus. The Sanctuary said there were 92 ducks, though the state Department of Environmental Protection put the count at 97.

The New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services collected the ducks and drove them more than an hour away to the sanctuary in Columbia.

Assistant Director of Operations Larry Herrighty said an investigation began on Friday after Secaucus police reported that ducks had been released into the Hackensack River.

A subsequent investigation led to the discovery of close to 100 abandoned ducks outside the Mill Creek Mall and a condominium complex in Secaucus, Herrighty said. The rescue operation took about two and a half hours.

The birds are part of a domesticated breed called Khaki Campbell that do not fly. It is illegal to release domesticated animals into the wild.

"These ducks were introduced in the U.S. over a century ago and they're very valued for their egg-laying capabilities," Herrighty said.

New Jersey residents interested in adopting the four-month old ducks should send a photo of the coop and pen where the ducks would be living to info@barnyardsanctuary.org.

The NJDFW and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Wildlife Services are currently investigating the release of the birds.

"We are pleased with our cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services," he said. "It took about two and a half hours of work in hot conditions to round up these animals."

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