There are over six thousand dogs working as therapy animals in the UK, helping people in various ways.
But here in Kent we have a collection of therapy Ducks!
From Historical reenactments, to a variety of charity work, Mark Colyer and his three therapy Ducks are often seen spreading Joy around Kent.
But here in Kent we have a collection of therapy Ducks!
From Historical reenactments, to a variety of charity work, Mark Colyer and his three therapy Ducks are often seen spreading Joy around Kent.
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00:00Animals can be a big part of many people's lives, whether that be a beloved pet or a therapy animal.
00:08In the UK there are over 6,000 dogs currently working as therapy dogs. They range anything
00:15from a medical alert dog, a guide dog, or to just be there to help with mental health.
00:21But here in Kent we have something a little different. Therapy ducks.
00:26I came down to speak to Mark to find out more about the ducks, just like Pinky here.
00:32Mark has a total of 19 ducks and I spoke to him to get to know a little bit more about what the ducks do.
00:38I do meet and greet therapy ducks. My very first duck was dog. I hatched him out nearly six years ago now.
00:46My main therapy ducks, I do an awful lot of work with children with autism, cancer hospitals,
00:53we do an awful lot of work with charity. We go raising money for charities.
00:59Mark and the ducks travel to all manner of events from historical reenactments to the local high
01:05streets to bring joy to those around. After attending so many events,
01:10Mark has many amazing stories about how his ducks have helped individuals.
01:14When I was at Mitchum Priory three years ago with dog, we met Lorna, a 14 year old girl, blind from birth.
01:23She felt his beak, every single feather on his body, his legs, his feet. And in the photograph,
01:32my eyes actually streaming and Lorna was saying, thank you so much. I now know what a duck looks like
01:38and feels like. With an interesting, but incredibly cute way to bring joy. I wanted to know why Mark
01:45does what he does. I just want to make people smile. These are very hard, dark times. If I can
01:51make people smile. I have a really good day. I get home at night and I've had a really good day. I'm
01:57buzzing. With such incredible work, I was left with one more question. How does one acquire so many ducks?
02:05No, I do rescue a lot of birds every year. When people, it comes on Facebook, like, oh, Mark,
02:10there's a bird. I normally say, what's your postcode? And when they send me their postcode,
02:16they say, oh, when can you come? Like, well, I'm on my way now. I'll do it all free of charge. I rescued
02:22from Hempcid, a mallard female and nine little ducklings. And the gentleman goes, oh, how much do you
02:30want for donations? Nothing. I said, no, no, no. I said, join me on Facebook and every day I will keep
02:38you updated on their progress. After spending some time with the ducks and feeding them peas,
02:44I can certainly see why these animals in particular can be a great way to help people,
02:49whether that be physical or mental health. Etterley Reynolds for KMTV.