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Feathered Friends Find Refuge After Woman’s Home Becomes Duck Sanctuary

{Duck Haven in Margate Florida}

The simple phrase ” Thou shalt not kill” is undoubtedly the most recognizable—and sadly not always obeyed—commandment. Margate resident Eunice Sivertsen has built her life around these four words.

Sivertsen, a spry 87-year-old native of New York, is the founder of Duck Haven, a not-for-profit sanctuary providing a safe, loving, and permanent home to the many injured and maimed ducks she operates out of her own home. It is also Florida’s only humane rescue organization dedicated to Muscovy ducks –the ones that abound throughout South Florida with those red, fleshy growths on their faces.

The idea of a duck rescue first came to her in the 1970s when Sivertsen moved to Sunrise Lakes from New York. Sivertsen spotted a neighbor across the lake attacking Muscovy ducks with a broom. She noticed one of the ducks was injured, so after she scolded the man, she and her husband took it to a wildlife center for treatment.

She noticed a bunch of boxes containing ducks there. Much to her chagrin, she discovered these unfortunate ducks were destined to be put to death. She said to her now-deceased husband, ‘They’re gonna kill all these ducks.’

Her husband asked, “Do you want to start a rescue down here?” She immediately responded, “Let’s take them before they kill them.”

She started Duck Haven in 1979 while she was in Sunrise and moved it to Margate when she relocated there in 1980.

Duck Haven exists in a modest home on a quiet residential street. From the outside, no one would ever imagine that inside the walls and enclosed areas in her yard, a plethora of ducks and other waterfowl reside safe from animal and human predation.

The birds vary in size, age, and even species, most suffering from various injuries. Some are young juveniles – including a few Egyptian geese goslings whose parents were struck by a car and killed.

Many ducks are common to South Florida, most notably our omnipresent Muscovy ducks, non-native, invasive species.

Unfortunately, it is legal to humanely kill or trap these creatures. Some people have been known to kill and abuse these ducks. One Muscovy under her care was suffering from multiple BB gunshot wounds. The kid [who was shooting at the ducks] shouted to her, “We’re supposed to kill them; they’re invasive.”

Eunice Sivertsen, founder of Duck Haven in Margate. {Duck Haven}

She added: “I get them all the time. Them and darts. I had one with an arrow going right through it.”

Federal law does prohibit killing Muscovy ducks in parts of Texas where they are native species.

The first room one sees when Sivertsen leads you on a tour of her home/shelter is the “intensive care unit,” where she rehabs and treats injured ducks. She even has a private veterinarian, whom she refused to disclose their name.

The “ICU” is located in a small room. One duck, named Twinnie, was recovering from a bad fracture. Another big duck was suffering from a nasty eye infection. Contrary to what one might expect, no foul (fowl) odor emanated from the ducks or their habitat.

At this point, she had to interrupt the tour momentarily when a woman called to report a lone baby duck she had found in a parking lot.

Rescued ducks are not the only rescued creatures with a safe home at Duck Haven. She has two big rescue dogs. One is a friendly German Shepherd who happens to be afraid of the ducks. The other, a huge great Dane, is another gentle giant.

Sivertsen’s kindness and caring do not stop with the animal kingdom. She has fostered 14 children in the past, including teenagers. Her great-grandchildren, ages 11, 8, and 5, live with her.

Duck Haven resident. {Duck Haven}

She has previously cleaned houses and even worked at the wildlife center. “But I left because I couldn’t stand them killing everything,” she said.

For more information, call Duck Haven at 954-979-5044, located at 2627 NW 61st Ave., Margate 33063. As a non-profit, they rely on donations. Their email is DrQuack0615@yahoo.com. You can also visit the website.

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Martin Lenkowsky

Martin Lenkowsky moved to Coral Springs from NYC in 1982. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. He has been both writer and editor for a number of South Florida publications since 1983. He considers features writing his specialty.