The call came on a bitter January night in Michigan — the kind where even stepping outside feels unbearable.
Matthew and Theresa Lyson were finally home, wrapped in the rare comfort of a quiet evening. But when their phone rang, they didn’t hesitate to answer. As founders of the Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary, they knew that calls like these often meant the difference between life and death.
“We try to answer every chance we get,” Matthew later wrote on Facebook. “Because we know that helpless angels in need do not work on a time schedule.”
On the other end of the line was a woman named Pam, her voice filled with worry. She had just found a heartbreaking scene near her home — a cluster of ducks, abandoned and freezing, huddled tightly together on the snow-covered ground.
She sent the Lysons a short video. It showed a dozen ducks pressed so close they looked like a single trembling shape, trying desperately to share enough warmth to survive.
The Lysons didn’t think twice. They grabbed their coats, loaded up their car, and raced 45 minutes through the icy night.
“It was just so sad,” Lyson wrote. “The neglected baker’s dozen were cuddled in a ball, just seeking community warmth.”
When they arrived, the air felt like 13 degrees. The ducks sat barely 20 feet from two busy roads — starving, exhausted, and one wrong step away from tragedy.
Pam met the rescuers at the scene, along with several kindhearted neighbors who had gathered to help. Together, they braced against the cold and began to piece together what had happened.
The ducks, all about a year old, had once belonged to a nearby homeowner who had since moved away. Left behind with no food or water, they had somehow managed to hang on for more than ten days — surviving on little more than instinct and hope.
“Some thought others were caring for them, but they were not,” Lyson explained.
There was no time to waste. The Lysons quickly devised a plan.
Normally, rescuing ducks requires nets — but Matthew and Theresa didn’t want to frighten the already fragile birds. So instead, they used patience and quiet teamwork.
“Rather than bring out nets immediately and possibly startle them, we slowly set up two carriers closely together near the shivering angels,” Lyson wrote. “Everyone tightened the perimeter as we gently guided them in.”
To their surprise, most of the ducks cooperated — almost as if they knew safety had finally arrived. Only a few tried to waddle away, but even they soon surrendered, too cold and weary to resist.
Within minutes, all thirteen ducks were safe.
The Lysons searched the area one last time to make sure none were left behind. Then, with their new passengers nestled safely in carriers, they drove home through the winter darkness — hearts full, fingers numb.
That night, the rescued ducks feasted on their first real meal in weeks. Then, warm and dry at last, they curled up together in the sanctuary’s cozy barn — their quiet peeps of contentment replacing the desperate cries Pam had heard hours earlier.
It would have been easy for the Lysons to let the phone ring that night — to stay inside where it was warm. But compassion rarely takes a night off.
“We can always come back to the comfort of the warm house,” Lyson said. “The animals cannot.”
Because two people refused to ignore a call for help, thirteen helpless angels got a second chance at life — and a home filled with warmth that no Michigan winter could ever touch.
To help more ducks like these find safety and care, you can donate to Michigan Duck Rescue and Sanctuary [here].
