Animal rescuers in Brittany, France were stunned by a wild duck that seemed to lead a perfectly normal life despite having a knife stuck in its neck.

Nicknamed Donald the Duck by the members of the Pinocchio et Sauvageons association, the mallard with a red knife handle sticking out of the left side of his neck had long attracted the attention of people in Saint-Nolff, north-western France. What really stunned those who saw the wild duck was how unaffected he seemed by the wound, swimming alongside other ducks, walking around on its webbed feet and being able to feed normally. However, animal rescuers at Pinocchio et Sauvageons worried that the knife could become a serious problem with time, so they decided to take it out.

Photo: Pinocchio et Sauvageons

Because Donald was in excellent physical shape despite his wound, he was extremely difficult to catch, but after days of failed attempts, on March 31, rescuers managed to catch and sedate him to have the blam removed from his neck. The surgical procedure was a success, and following the convalescence period, he flew right out of the cage when the door opened.

Photo: Pinocchio et Sauvageons

Pinocchio et Sauvageons observed Donald for weeks after he was released and reported that he is doing great and doesn’t seem to have any sequelae.

As for how Donald got a knife stuck in his neck, a member of the League for the Protection of Birds told Pinocchio et Sauvageons that it could not have happened by accident. Someone stabbed the animal in the neck, but he was lucky that the knife didn’t puncture any vital organs. Local authorities are now trying to identify the heartless stabber.