South Dakota man on a mission to save ducks

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A Sioux Falls man has a unique passion that has feathered out into a full-time job. For the past nine years, Mike Hillman has been rescuing little ducklings that have lost their mommas for one reason or another. And as you’re about to see, it’s a bigger job than you might think.

They call him the Duck Guy.

“It’s a full-time job yep definitely,” Hillman said.

He has rescued over 50 little ducklings so far this year and he says it’s just the beginning.

His passion for ducklings began nine years ago.

“I found a duckling in the street late at night by itself; did some research and found there’s no rehabbers in the area and made some contacts and decided to take it on myself,” Hillman said.

And from there it just took flight.

Hillman says he’ll get calls from citizens, Sioux Falls Animal Control or the Humane Society about ducklings that have found their way onto people’s properties.

“I get a lot of them the day after Memorial Day, people come home and find them in their window wells and they are so dehydrated they are clinging to life and they usually don’t make it,” Hillman said.

But he’s doing what he can to try and save as many as he can.

He even got the city to put up ‘Duck Crossing’ signs around town.

“Trying to save some the more that people stop and let them cross it’ll help save them from coming to me if something happens to the mother,” Hillman said.

He’s built five containments to hold them and feed them until they get a little older.

Hillman raises these ducklings until they are about five weeks old then he returns them to the wild or if he gets overwhelmed with too many he’ll take them to a waterfowl rehab center in Watertown.

Hillman says he’ll keep doing it for as long as he can.

“Just to give these animals a second chance when they are found they are not good they don’t have a chance to live for as small as they are,” Hillman said.

Not anybody can do what Hillman does either because you need to have a federal and city permit to raise the ducklings.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to SiouxlandProud | Sioux City, IA | News, Weather, and Sports.