CAPAHA'S DUCKS WELL CARED FOR THIS WINTER

Everything's ducky at Capaha Park.

Cape Girardeau city parks employees feed the ducks daily at the park each winter. The 35 to 40 ducks that live at the Capaha Park Lagoon consume a 50-pound bag of corn each week, said Mark Sullivan, park supervisor.

Each bag of cracked or shelled corn costs under $7, a small price to pay to feed the ducks. But Sullivan said the city would accept donations of duck food.

The city typically starts feeding the ducks two to three times a week in October. By mid-November the feedings become a daily occurrence.

Sullivan said the ducks appear to be in good shape. The situation wasn't as good in early August when several ducks died from botulism.

Jhan White, administrator of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, said in August that the bacterial disease could have been transmitted to the ducks when they ate dead fish in the lagoon.

The fish, she said, died because of excessive algae growth in the lagoon.

The lagoon, which is really a storm-water detention basin, holds a little over three acres of water. It doesn't receive any fresh water except when it rains.

Since the botulism incident, the duck population has grown.

Some people drop off ducks at the park. Coupled with the resident population of ducks and healthy breeding, the population would continue to grow if the city didn't remove some of the birds, Sullivan said.

Left unchecked, there would be too many ducks to feed. There also would be more duck waste, which would spur the growth of algae, White said.

Sullivan said that can create murky water conditions.

The city tries to keep the duck population at around 20.

He said parks employees plan to trap 15 to 20 of the ducks early next year in an effort to reduce the flock. The city, as in past years, will give the surplus ducks to people who want to keep them for pets.

Persons interested in adopting the ducks should call the Parks and Recreation Department at 335-5421.

Sullivan said the parks department wants to remove the white, domesticated ducks and keep the mallards.

White said people should take special care of their pets during the winter months.

"Anytime it gets below freezing, you are going to have to make provisions for your pets," she said.

The most serious problem is that bowls of water freeze. Animals need water even in winter. "They still have to have water or they will dehydrate and die," White said.

"Make sure you get them fresh water several times a day," she said.

White said electrically heated water bowls are a good solution.

"Hypothermia is a real threat to animals, not just people," she said.

Frostbite is always a possibility with smaller animals like cats.

The salt used to melt ice and snow from sidewalks and driveways can irritate pets' paws, causing them to crack and bleed.

White said owners should clean off the paws of their pets when they come inside to prevent such problems.

At the lagoon, even a little snow doesn't bother the ducks. Aerators assure that the lagoon won't freeze over.

"There is always going to be a duck population on that body of water," said White.