This time of year, establishments all over the country sell or give away baby animals as a holiday promotion, and hundreds of these creatures end up in the Easter baskets of customers who find them too cute to resist.

It rarely takes long for the buyer’s remorse to set in. The adorable little impulse purchase turns out to be a real animal who needs care and space and who will eventually grow into an adult rabbit, duck, hen, or rooster. Upon this realization, the animals are dumped at already overcrowded shelters or released into the wild – the latter almost invariably a death sentence for these vulnerable youngsters, who end up starving or falling prey to predators.

Such easily could have been the fate of six Pekin ducklings dumped in Elmira, N.Y., this spring. Instead, a local woman found them huddled together in her yard; Farm Sanctuary was contacted; and the group was quickly brought to safety at our New York Shelter.

The ducklings have proved quite resilient: despite the peril they faced so recently, they are a healthy, happy and active bunch. The inseparable sextet is enjoying the spring weather by day and the warmth and comfort of their clean, spacious barn at night. The ducklings rescued this spring in Elmira will be cherished and protected all their days, and through their vitality and obvious joy in life, these ambassadors will refute the perception that any creature is disposable.

These ducklings are alive and safe because of the support of people like you. Please help us continue to care for them and others by sponsoring an animal in need or making a donation to the Emergency Rescue Fund, which makes rescues such as this one possible.