Woman who 'accidentally fell in love' with ducks builds them 30ft home

Leanne Clarke started looking after ducks three years ago

A woman who "accidentally fell in love" with helping ducks built a giant home for them in her garden.

Leanne Clarke first inherited a few with her new house when she moved to Horsford, near Norwich, in 2022, and looked into how to care for them.

After avian flu restrictions hit Norfolk, which limited bird movement, the 34-year-old built "The Quack Shack", complete with paddling pools and feeding tray.

Word spread locally and after receiving lots of calls for help with injured ducks, she became a wildlife rehabilitator and took in abandoned birds.

"It's changed my life and their life - they're very happy," she said.

'Fell in love'

Speaking about finding the birds in her new garden, she said: "There were a couple of Mallards, a huge Muscovy, and a few Runner ducks when I moved in - I accidentally fell in love."

Once it was announced birds had to be kept inside, she built them a 30ft (9m) by 13ft (4m) wooden shed, that currently houses 36 ducks.

"It's been really hard," Ms Clarke said.

"The ducks are looking out of their enclosure at the pond and the sunshine, and I feel sad that they can't go out and enjoy the sun.

"At the end of the day I want to protect them and keep them safe, and this is the only way to do so."

It was never Ms Clarke's plan to become a duck rehabilitator, but after learning about how to care for her own group, she said she "fell into it".

"I realised that people don't look after ducks the way you'd think they would, so we took on a few," she added.

"We had one that was bred in lockdown and they didn't want it anymore, and then it just rolled from there.

"All in all, it's lovely. They're so sweet; they've all got personalities. I love it."

Although she funds the care of the ducks herself, she received help with the duck house from a crowdfunding campaign run by broadcaster Riyadh Khalaf.

After finding a duck egg on a path, Khalaf hatched a duckling in 2024. His duck, Spike, now lives in the Quack Shack.

The Quack Shack is located next to a pond in Leanne's garden

Ms Clarke said she got more than 10 calls a week from members of the public inquiring about injured or abandoned birds.

"There's a lot of dumped ducks, which are technically domesticated breeds," she said.

"They get put by a pond when they're not wanted anymore, because apparently that's where ducks should be."

Once she gets the injured birds back to full health, Leanne rehomes them with experienced owners.

The RSPCA said it was crucial for people to learn about domestic ducks before taking them on as pets.

A spokesperson added: "Ducks can make great companions - but as with all pets, it's really important that before people take them on, they carefully consider if they can look after them for their whole lives."

"Moving a domestically reared duck to a wild or pond environment puts them at risk if they have not learned how to survive on their own and find food."