Rescue ducks adorably look out for disabled flock member during daily commute home from the pond

Annette Calarco, a 40-old-woman residing on a rural Australian farm, has three ducks, a rabbit and 28 cats at her humble sanctuary. But it's her ducks that are gaining popularity on TikTok lately.

Calarco captured the video of how sweetly her two rescue ducks treat their disabled flock member while waddling back from the pool to the house every day. Upon looking closely, it's noticeable that the duck in the middle was having some difficulty while moving compared to the other two.

"Almost every morning at about 8 a.m., I drop all three ducks off at the pond on our property, which I can see from my balcony," Calarco told Newsweek. "They spend all day paddling around having a great time and are ready to come home usually about an hour before sunset. They usually let me know they're ready to come home by quacking loudly." She explained that her duck Cleo suffers from painful joints due to a vitamin deficiency when she was younger and is usually required to get carried home by Calarco.

"The vets wanted to euthanize her because there is nothing that can be done to help her but because she has a big pond to suspend her body in all day, it takes the pressure off her joints long enough for her to remain a happy duck," Calarco said. "Although more attention will be needed over time as they continue to get worse."

But lately, her ducks haven't been quacking like before to signal to Calarco that they were ready to come back home from the pond. Instead, they were making quiet trips while guarding their disabled friend safely all the way and even slowing down for her.

"I strongly suspect that it's because they don't want me to know when they are back because they know I will immediately lock them in their enclosure and they would much rather be free to destroy my father's veggie garden before that happens," Calarco, who lives next door to her parents on their 11-acre property outside Sydney, added. "I noticed that the other two ducks had placed Cleo in the middle of them, even though she walks much slower than them. As soon as I picked up Cleo, the other two sped up and I struggled to keep up with them."

Calarco usually films her rescue animals and birds on the farm and she also has a background in film and television in live camera operating. Post her divorce, she moved back to Australia from Los Angeles and started over by rescuing animals and birds who were discarded by humans.

"Almost as soon as I got back, a cousin of mine asked me to help him with the overwhelming number of cats showing up and breeding on his property," she shared. Calarco has desexed and relocated over 100 cats over a period of five years.

Calarco eventually became aware of the duck-dumping issue in the area she resided in. "A friend of my father's was walking past a lake near his home when a dumped Pekin duck spotted him and chased him all the way to his house. He had no idea what to do so he kept her in his backyard for a week and then drove him to my place because he knew we had a pond. I called her Cleopatra. I hadn't found her a home where I felt she was protected enough against predators anyway," Calarco explained. 

Since ducks are social flock animals, she realized that Cleo would need a couple of friends and soon found Henrietta and then Gertrude to create the trio.

Her video has gained over 5 million views so far and netizens are showering their love on these adorable duck pals. @nodramaliiama wrote: "Gosh darn it. Now I need to add ducks to my list of animals to retire with." Another user pointed out, "They slow down for Cleo! Tell your ducks that I love them and I’m starting a college fund for their babies."

@sendhelporcoffee complimented Calarco writing: "This is one of my favorite accounts for pure wholesome duck energy." Calarco and her rescue pets continue to entertain their audience with these wholesome videos and inspire people to rescue animals in need as well.