Sink or swim: orphaned ducklings are saved for Easter

These ducklings are now being cared for by animal rescue staff just in time for Easter after being abandoned by their mother.

The pair of Mallards – nicknamed Peter and Paul by carers – were found paddling in a stream in Vivary Park, Taunton, this week.

Luckily they were scooped up by two animal lovers and taken to Secret World Wildlife Rescue, in nearby East Huntspill.

Animal care manager Sara Cowan said the ducklings were only a couple of days old on arrival and were now snug and warm in an incubator.

She said: "They will remain under close observation for a couple of weeks before being transferred to a cage and from there to the open, where they will be raised until they are fully feathered."

Peter and Paul are the first of hundreds of lost or abandoned feathered friends expected to arrive at the rescue centre during this breeding season.

After being cared for they will be released back into the wild. Secret World staff are busy meeting visitors on their four-day Easter Open Weekend – which they hope will raise cash for their £4.4 million Call of the Wild Appeal.

The project, launched by famous Discworld author Sir Terry Pratchett, aims to build a new wildlife teaching hospital and education centre.

For further information on the appeal, email save@secretworld.org or visit www.secretworld.org and click on the Call of the Wild link.