What will happen to the ducks at Young Park in Las Cruces?

Multiple ducks have lost their home because the City of Las Cruces is draining the pond at Young Park.

“They’re healthy,” said Gimo Jimenez, an animal control supervisor with the City. “However, they don’t have a lot of water to move around in and get out of the way of predators.”

The City is replacing two aerators and adding a third to keep the water fresh for future animals, said Sonya Delgado, the city’s director of parks and recreation. Last summer, ABC-7 reported on the dying fish at Young Park. On Monday, there was more dead trout in the water.

The City’s animal control department is working with animal welfare groups to get the ducks a home, Jimenez said. A total of 26 ducks reside in the lake, but the City is trying to avoid placing them in the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley.

“We already know that the animal shelter is overcrowded and we don’t want to burden them anymore,” Jimenez said.

According to the City, the pond hasn’t been drained in at least 15 years. Most of the ducks at the park are domestic, so they don’t have the instincts of migratory ducks to fly away, Jimenez said.

“Hopefully, these welfare agencies are able to take them and then put them in different homes for either long-term or short-term,” Jimenez said.