Patches the duck, rescued in infancy, is a sensation in Melbourne, Florida. She rides shopping carts at Pet Smart, where she can browse, and attracts onlookers at the supermarket, where she keeps watch outside with her child playmate, Marie Keel, age 8, while the adults go inside to shop. She has hopped on the mailman’s truck and been to school, where she interacted with students who sat on the floor in a circle. Patches likes to ride in the car and loves it at the beach.
Patches the Duck is Rescued
Patches was found at duck ponds adjoining the Melbourne Public Library. No other ducks looked like her, nor did they like her. She also was afraid of the water. Of course! Patches is an Indian Runner Duck. They can’t really fly, they walk upright like a penguin and are uniquely different from other ducks. So, hunters, shoot your Mallards and leave the Indian Runners alone!
She was rescued by Karen Keel, who named her Patches and began exploring her personality so Karen and her family could better care for her. At first she was lonely, but Karen propped a mirror against the wall in her outside feeding corner where she also has her own bathing place. Karen has had other ducks, but none as alert, intelligent and revealing as Patches.
Patches the Duck Performs
First, go for a walk with Patches and meet Marie, 8, daughter of Ronald and Karen Keel. Patches and Marie have forged an unusually strong bond. Bordering the Keel property on the south is a creek and, on the west, a run-off ditch which feeds into the creek. Remember the saying “like a duck to water”? Well, the young Patches (probably less than 6 months old) was afraid of water and first got acclimated to it by riding on Marie’s back. Three months later she often has to be tossed into the water, which she then enjoys.
No wonder! Karen is proficient at skimming minnows out of the water and these are treats for Patches!
Patches Communicates
Although Karen has no formal training in animal psychology, she ended her teens by reading a lot about human behavior. It has helped her analyze the sounds and body motion of Patches, who seems to have a vocabulary of six to eight sounds. Here are some examples:
- One long, forceful quack, with her neck outstretched, indicates excitement.
- A long quack that reflects her anxiety, while she runs from room to room searching the house, means she can’t find Marie.
- If you tell Patches she is pretty, she fluffs up, puts her head under her wing and makes a series of low clicks.
- Quiet muted quacks are given when Patches first wakes up. (She sleeps in a blanket covered bassinet next to Marie’s bed.) This “Are you awake?” continues until Marie speaks to Patches.
- When Patches seems anxious, or fearful, she utters fast, rapid fire quack, quack, quacks.
- She loves heading home from walks and her quack-quacks match the pace of her feet.
- Patches wags her tail feathers, puts her head under her feathers and does a soft, sibilant chatter when she is excited. Sometimes she even walks in circles.
Karen has been able to distinguish between her dominant quacks and her searching quacks. She also recognizes the insistent I-want-to-eat quack.
Patches also indicates her moods by her body language. She gives a gentle nudge when she wants to cuddle. She will push your hand away with her beak if she doesn’t want to be touched. Ducks don’t coo, but Patches will make a muted froggy noise when she is content from being petted. She shakes when she is scared and on walks will come between Karen’s legs if she is overheated. (Karen carries ice on their hot summer walks along the canal.)
Patches the Watchdog
This interviewer met Patches when taking a walk in her neighborhood. She saw Patches on the front porch of her home, spoke to her, noticed how the alert duck cocked her head, then spoke some more. Patches slowly sauntered across the lawn and approached. I spoke again and she pecked at my leg (I had on shorts, don’t readily identify with winged animals and took off down the the road). When I returned with jeans on and spoke to Karen, I found out that I probably had a “test” contact that was not a bite.
Patches, however, has been known to chase people down the street. (She also does not have friendly relationships with substitute mailmen, but likes the regular one and has been in his truck). It seems that Patches immediately judges people she has contact with and Karen cannot always see the rhyme nor reason for her reaction.
Negative Behavior of Patches the Duck
Patches has some negative behavior in judging the people she meets. Some of it can be explained. She does not, however, like Karen’s daughter, Renee, 21.
Patches can also be a handful. She gets so curious that she interferes with people doing yardwork and other household chores. One day she took the end of the toilet paper three times and ran it through the house. When Karen took the toilet paper away from her she became what Karen calls “bratty”.
Patches can use her beak to stroke you, to gently pinch you as a reminder of her discomfort, or use her beak to pinch and twist (ouch!) when you don’t get the message.
The Family of Patches the Duck
Patches is so bonded with Marie that Marie can man-handle her and take her up tree limbs and let her get down on her own. Karen reports that if Patches is taken on a walk without Marie she will run home at any chance she gets. If Marie leaves the house without Patches knowing, Patches searches the house, room to room, in near panic.
There is an interesting sign of the intelligence of Patches. Karen walks Marie to the school bus stop and returns to pick her up. Karen took Patches along with her in the morning. Patches didn’t like Marie disappearing. Karen started taking Patches along in the afternoon when Marie returned on the bus. Eventually, Patches lost her anxiety and began to realize that the bus that took Marie also brought her back. This is an amazing knowledge concept for a duck.
How Amazing is Patches?
Patches seeks closeness with her favorite people.She plays "watchdog" outside all day, but in the evenings cuddles with her family members while they watch TV.
Sources that have been checked indicate that Patches is unique, but that verdict is still in the exploratory stages. Anyone who has stories/evidence around the performance and knowledge of Indian Runner Ducks is requested to reply to this article.
(A companion article features the journal Karen Keel kept of their adoption of Patches.)
Source:
Interviews with Karen Keel and Marie Keel, plus personal observance of Patches.
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Rosemary E. Bachelor - Rosemary Bachelor, a prize-winning journalist, has had a career as an editor, feature writer, magazine publisher and author. Her latest ...
