ESTEVAN - Three thousand rubber ducks rushed through the Souris River towards the finish line Sunday afternoon.
Many people and their pets joined the Estevan Humane Society for their annual Duck Derby fundraiser, held at the boat launch at the Woodlawn Regional Park. While waiting for the race, kids enjoyed a bouncy castle, could get their faces painted and had a blast playing with a big inflatable yellow duck. A food truck was also on location, and the shelter had some merchandise for sale.
The race started at about 2 p.m. when ducks were dropped off the Highway 47 South bridge into the Souris River. While some rubber athletes right away headed into the nearest underbrush, others, with some current and wind, were floating towards humane society volunteers, waiting for them in canoes at the finish line.
For the first time in a while, there was no need to help the ducks move, as the river was indeed flowing.
The entire race took about 15 minutes, and Kasandra Goltz's duck won the competition.
With a full sell-out of tickets in the past couple of years, the shelter decided to add another 1,000 ducks, which meant the winner took home $15,000 this year, and the humane society was able to raise a comparable amount of money for their needs.
"We sold out the last few years relatively quickly, with a couple of days to go. So we thought, 'Is there a market for another 1,000 ducks?' And we decided, we'll give it a try. No harm in trying. And I'm glad we did. I mean, a lucky winner gets $15,000. And the shelter now has an extra $5,000," said shelter president Tayja Lakusta.
The last few days before the fundraiser were really busy for board members and volunteers with selling tickets, marking and preparing ducks and getting everything organized. They were able to sell out the tickets by about 10:30 a.m. on the day of the race, and Lakusta said it felt good to have another successful fundraiser.
While restrictions were off the table this year, the shelter still continued to accept e-transfers, which they started during the past two years. It allows them to reach a broader audience and have more support for their fundraiser. Lakusta noted that online and offline ticket sales split about 50/50.
Money raised through Duck Derby will be directed towards the shelter's regular needs.
"Just paying our bills, vet bills. We're looking at starting to do some renovations down there and just trying to upgrade some stuff. Just slowly trying to make it a better building for us," Lakusta said.
The humane society also had several dogs and puppies available or almost available for adoption out at the fundraiser, not only to socialize them and have them outside shelter walls, but also in the hopes of finding them new homes. They have 14 dogs of different sizes, ages and personalities up for adoption.
The shelter is once again at its capacity for cats. During the summer, they had to put a freeze on intakes, which is still partially in place. The shelter does its best to help in critical cases, but can't accept all cats coming through their doors.
To improve the situation a bit, they currently have a cat adoption promotion underway.
"We are having cat adoption fees reduced till October 31. We've got adult cats for $75. And kittens, we're hoping for people to take pairs. So a pair of kittens you get for $200. If you just want a single kitten, it's $125. We're just hoping to get some cats into their homes before winter starts," Lakusta said.
To see the animals available for adoption, check out their website at www.estevanhumanesociety.ca or stop by the shelter during their work hours.
