This is another one of those kitty (or doggie) in a box stories, right?

They’re cute, of course, but a little too common and predictable. No, this time, what a very surprised woman found in a cardboard box in her backyard isn’t even remotely predictable…

A woman in England came outside and found this box, sitting in a corner of her garden. It was partially open and she thought she heard movement coming from inside.

There’s no way of knowing what was inside; it could be something nasty, like a snake or a bunch of rats, or something like that.

So, she was careful … she inched closer and then she thought she heard a sound. And it most definitely wasn’t a meow or a bark!

She got close enough, reached down, and lifted one of the flaps on the box. And inside, she was met with the most adorable sight:

A pair of ducklings!

They looked scared, which isn’t too surprising, but they otherwise appeared to be in good health. Still, this good woman wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation.

After all, not everyone is equipped to care for farm animals, which might be the reason the poor duck babies were abandoned in the first place.

So, their rescuer did the right thing: she called the RSPCA, where inspector Sophie John quickly took them under her wing (pun intended). As she said in a press release:

“I believe the ducklings are Khaki Campbells and are around 3 weeks old.

They still have fluffy, downy features, so have a bit of growing to do yet.”

A vet determined both ducklings were indeed in good condition, and John decided to name the fluffy babies Thelma and Louise.

They’re now in the care of another RSPCA employee, inspector Nina Small, until they’re old enough to find a forever home.

John believes the ducklings proved to be too much of a challenge for someone, which is why there were left in a cardboard box in a stranger’s yard.

“They grow quickly and if their environment isn’t well managed, it can get quite messy…

…so I suspect, when someone realized how big these two ducks would get and got fed up of cleaning up after them, they decided to abandon them so they would be someone else’s problem.”

They’re a lifetime commitment, just like any pet, so don’t go buying animals on a whim!

And if you do find that they’re too much for you, and you’ve made a mistake, please do the responsible thing and try to find them a good home.

Source: The Dodo

The post Woman Finds Odd Cardboard Box In Her Backyard, She Lifts A Corner, And Lets Out A Gasp appeared first on Addicting Stories.

Their farm is chock full of the usual suspects – cows, sheep, chickens cats, and dogs – but it was completely devoid of ducks.

That led the Irish couple to purchase some fertilized duck eggs and patiently wait for them to hatch.

The big day finally arrived, and Ronan decided to take a break and check in the fluffy new brood.

But to his amazement (and fear), they were nowhere to be found!

The frantic couple began to search high and low for the little duckies, and they suddenly realized what had happened…

They came across one of their cats with one of the ducklings in its mouth, and they naturally feared the worst.

Indeed, cats tend to feast on little birdies.

Thankfully, their instincts were way off the mark this time around.

In fact, they couldn’t possibly have guessed what this amazing cat did with her snagged duckling!

The loving kitty had absolutely no intention of harming the duckling, but rather gently put it down right next to her.

Soon thereafter, the rest of the ducklings came waddling over as well.

The cat was caring for the ducklings as if they were her own offspring!

On top of which, the ducklings were perfectly happy to accept the doting kitty as a wonderful foster mom.

As you can imagine, that resulted in one of the most adorable scenes that you’ll ever see.

The ducklings have grown up a bit since then, but they continue to follow the cat around as much as possible.

The most unlikely BFFs, right here!

Source: NTD.TV

The post When His Cat Grabs A Duckling And Runs, Ronan Gives Chase, And Discovers Her Stash appeared first on Addicting Stories.

They live on a small farm in Ireland, and they decided to purchase some fertilized duck eggs.

The hardest part of having the eggs on the farm would be keeping predators from having them as a feast.

So, they put them in the barn where they would be safe.

When they came out to check on the eggs one morning, they were surprised to see the shells; they had already hatched.

But where did the ducklings go?

Suddenly, the cat jumped down from the rafters. Then it hit them: the kitty – named Della – had had them for breakfast!

Actually, she hadn’t eaten them…yet. Six hours later, Ronan finds the ducklings but Della has her sights on them, too, and quickly pounces.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh no,’” Ronan said. “We’re only [just] getting them back, and now she’s going to eat them right in front of us!”

But that’s not what she did. Incredibly, Della laid down on her side and the little duckling crawled under her.

The other little ducks joined in. Della started purring loudly…yes, she had taken in the motherless babies!

But that wasn’t the end of their surprises for the day.

A short time later, they found that Della had given birth during the night, just before finding the ducklings, and she loved them all!

Della even nursed the ducklings like she did her kittens. Ducklings usually search for their own food after hatching, but they were quite happy to nurse along with the kittens.

It was quite a sight!

The ducks grew to be much bigger than their ‘mother’, but they still stay close to her, as well as their kitten brothers and sisters.

Watch the adorable video of Della with the ducklings. It proves that motherly instincts are far more powerful than anyone realizes, even in the animal kingdom!

The post Motherless Duck Eggs Hatch And Are Quickly Adopted By The Strangest New Mama Ever appeared first on Addicting Stories.

There are even stories of apes and wolves taking in human babies that had been left to fend for themselves.

But this one might be a first…

When a man from Australia realized his duck had hatched out a clutch of baby ducklings he was ecstatic. He couldn’t wait to count them and see how many had hatched.

But when he got Mama Duck to come off her nest for a few minutes, he was stunned to find that she had more in her nest than just ducklings.

It reminded him of that old children’s game, “Which one of these is not like the others?”

Nestled in amidst the downy ducklings, warmed by mama duck’s body, was a baby bandicoot!

A bandicoot is a marsupial, similar to an opossum, that is considered a predator for ducks and other fowl.

But mama duck had apparently decided that this one was her baby, and she intended to care for it along with her own children.

In the past, when the duck’s owner, Rex, had come in contact with bandicoots on his property, they had been on the prowl to kill his chickens and ducks.

But not this time!

He wasn’t quite sure what he should do but in the end the mama duck made the decision for him.

When he reached for the baby, she made it clear that was her baby and he wasn’t supposed to bother it!

Watching the mama duck taking care of her adopted baby set Rex to thinking about how differently the animal kingdom works as opposed to our human world.

The duck wasn’t judging the bandicoot by its appearance. She just knew he was tiny and needed help, so she gave it.

As a result, he decided to let nature play out and see what happened.

So far, the little guy has survived, even though mama duck can’t provide it with the sustenance that its own mama would have given it.

When mom and dad take the family out for a walk, the bandicoot (that Rex named Bandi) stays behind and takes care of the nest while they’re gone.

When they return, he nestles back in with his feathered brothers and sisters for a nice nap.

Good luck to this little family!

Hopefully little Bandi will grow up happy and healthy with them and become a “guard bandicoot” for them against other marauders.

Source: Honest to Paws

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