LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – A Lakeland man is stuck with a duck that showed up at his home one day and hasn’t left since.
Richard Martin admits he doesn’t mind.
Martin tells News Channel 8 he got home from work one night and found a duck sitting in his grass.
When he got out of the truck, the duck, now named Daisy, started following him.
Several weeks later, Daisy can still be found hanging around his home. Daisy follows him everywhere, including the nearby lake, where Martin has tried to take her several times.
“No matter what, when I go to leave, she follows me home,” Martin said. “It’s about a mile and a half!”
Martin also said the other ducks have been aggressive to Daisy when she gets in the water.
Martin called police and the city, but has been told they can only pick up the animal if it is injured.
Martin came to the realization that Daisy has made his home her own.
“Every morning she waits by the door for me when I leave. When I come home, she’s either at the door or by my truck,” Martin said.
So, he has taken Daisy under his wing, making sure she is comfortable for as long as she wants to stay.
He makes sure she has food and water, and even bought her a baby pool and attached an umbrella so she has shade.
“When I came home from work today she was in the pool and some of the neighbors told me that she goes in, so she likes it,” he laughed.
Martin knows she may not stay forever, but as long as she wants to, he said she has place at his home and in his heart.
“She always comes back so far. I’m thinking someday I’ll come home and she’s going to be gone. But, she’s got a home here as long as she wants to stay,” he said.
A wildlife expert who spoke with News Channel 8 said it’s very possible that Daisy was raised and abandoned by humans, and because of that, she would not be able to fend for herself in the wild.You can see Daisy’s unique accommodations tonight at 6 on News Channel 8.STORIES THAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON –
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