Emotional-support duck quacks his way into plane passengers' hearts

Passengers on a recent flight in North Carolina found that there were an extra set of wings on their plane.

At the gate, waiting for the short Charlotte-to-Asheville flight, a passenger snapped a photo of a duck in a stroller and posted it on Twitter. The duck had a note that said, “My first flight,” and was quacking a lot, according to the passenger.

Once on board, Daniel, an emotional-support duck, waddled down the aisle to meet passengers. Another passenger took a photo of the duck and his special shoes.

Carla Fitzgerald, the duck's owner, told a passenger that Daniel is a 4-year-old Indian runner and cannot fly.

During the flight, Daniel comforted his owner with gentle quacking and tail wagging. Fitzgerald acquired the unusual support animal after she suffered extensive injuries in a horse-carriage accident, according to KABC. While she was operating a horse carriage in Milwaukee, she was struck by a driver who was texting. Fitzgerald was thrown from the carriage and required months of rehabilitation.

Fitzgerald’s doctor prescribed a therapy animal to help combat her panic attacks. Daniel seemed to do his job during his first day of flying, which began in Milwaukee.