Young duck enthusiast’s flock finds haven in Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – A family says they’re grateful to the Fort St. John residents for accommodating their family’s flock of ducks after evacuating Fort Nelson.

Scarlett Sparshu and her mother, Heather, were among the first families to evacuate the Fort Nelson area, bringing with them a family dog and ten home-hatched ducks. 

The 13-year-old has been hatching and raising her ducks since 2021, when she noticed a picture of a duck on a bottle of dish soap during the COVID lockdown.

“I asked my dad why there was a duck, and he showed me a video of the duck Dawn dish soap commercial. I thought it was a cute baby duck. I asked if we could get ducks, and he said yeah, but I’d have to go ask my mom,” Scarlett said.

Three years later, Scarlett’s flock has grown to 10 friendly, personable ducks.

“I like seeing their personalities cause they’re so different, I like going outside and sitting with them and they come running up to me,” Scarlett said.

The Sparshu family was one of the first to evacuate and initially did not take their flock or family dog. 

“We actually thought we would just be spending the night in the Fort Nelson rec centre and that we’d be back home the next day,” Heather said.

When things worsened, Heather returned to get the family dog but had to leave the ducks behind.

A few days later, Heather’s father-in-law evacuated Fort Nelson, loading the flock into a dog crate and bringing them to the family in Fort St. John. 

Heather explained that Emergency Support Services helped find shelter for the ducks, and a Fort St. John couple was volunteering their backyard and pond for the evacuated flock. 

“They have a lovely pond in their backyard, and they have a greenhouse that they’ve set up for duck shelter, and we’ve been blown away by how amazing they’ve been,” Heather said. 

The duo travels to visit the ducks twice a day and says they have been settling into their temporary accommodations well.  

Scarlett, Heather, and their ducks intend to remain in Fort St. John until conditions improve in Fort Nelson. Their husband and father, Ryan Sparshu, stayed behind as a volunteer firefighter in Fort Nelson.

“Fort St. John is the best place for us, just so that if there is a change we get to see him,” Heather said.

The flock’s newest additions are expected to finish incubating at the end of June, and the family is hoping to return before they start to hatch.

“As long as there’s power, they’ll be okay,” Scarlett said.