The Snuggly Duckling

In 2019, 33-year-old Betsy Ross was at the park in Visalia, Calif., with her family when they found a Muscovy duck’s nest. All the eggs were smashed except one, which Ross’s children begged her to save. On instinct, she popped it into her sports bra to keep it safe. After some research, Ross decided her best option was to leave the egg pressed against her body. She nestled it for more than 30 days, placing baggies of warm water on her chest to raise the incubation temperature. Eventually the duck began to peep, and after a difficult hatching, it survived. The bird bonded with Ross, so she fashioned a carrier for it out of a headband. But she’s since moved the duck to a farm. “He needed a place where he would be happy,” she says. —Suzannah Showler