Monday, March 13, 2023,

This is Beaker. He’s a Mallard Duck with an unusual profile. Beaker got his name from a popular Muppet’s Show character, for what may be obvious reasons.
Beaker came to Sweetbriar Nature Center after having suffered a rather grievous encounter with a Snapping Turtle when he was still a very young duckling. It seems that the Snapping Turtle took a chomp at Beaker and took off a good deal of his beak.
Beaker, luckily—and amazingly – survived, his Holy Cow! wound. However, despite the fact that he is able to still feed in an almost normal fashion, we are not sure if he can be returned to the wild. On the other hand, Beaker is very personable and has many fans amongst the rehabbers.  JK

JK