DARTMOUTH - The ducklings were barely 2 weeks old when their mother was run over and killed earlier this month by a motorist in a parking lot at the Dartmouth Mall.

The 12 orphans have found temporary shelter at a Westport farm, and the man who allegedly ran over their mother June 13 could face several charges, including animal cruelty, animal control officer Sandra Gosselin said in an interview at the farm yesterday.

The New Bedford District Court will call a closed-door clerk magistrate’s hearing, in which the police and the potential defendant will present their cases, said Gregg Miliote, spokesman for Bristol District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter. The clerk magistrate will determine whether there is probable cause to file a criminal complaint, Miliote said.

“If the clerk [magistrate] finds that this was enough to bring a criminal complaint, then we will absolutely prosecute [him],’’ Miliote said.

According to a court clerk, the date for the hearing had not been set by yesterday afternoon.

The New Bedford Standard-Times reported yesterday that police said a 25-year-old Acushnet man ran down the mother duck. He did not stop his 2003 Kia Spectra after the incident and left the mall soon afterward, the paper said. The newspaper also reported that the man later explained to the police that he left because a witness started yelling at him and he did not want a confrontation.

Police, who have not released the man’s identity, did not return repeated calls yesterday.

Meanwhile, the ducklings are being cared for by Christine A. Ponte and her husband, Joseph S. Ponte, who own the Westport farm. In another six weeks, when they are stronger and ready to fly, the couple will release them into the wild, they said.

The ducklings seem comfortable in their new home, which they share with a baby deer named Lucky.

The dozen feathery brown ducklings move together as a group, often climbing on top of one another and looking around curiously.

At a glance they look identical, but some are just slightly smaller and tend to follow the biggest one, pecking at one another.

At night they sleep in a cozy room with a heat lamp.

They are growing by the day, almost like weeds, Christine Ponte said.

She feeds them and pets them and cleans their cage, but also makes sure she does not grow too fond of them.

“I gave them a new life and a new start,’’ she said. “I try not to interact with them. . . . I want them to just go back where they belong.’’

Ponte said she could not believe someone would want to hurt the creatures intentionally.

“How can you do something like this?’’ she said. “A lot of people do it and think it’s OK to do it for fun.’’

“Some people aren’t in their right minds,’’ Gosselin agreed.

In her 15-year career, she said, she has seen only one case in which a group of young people intentionially injured some mallards.

“People just need to slow down when it comes to the wildlife,’’ Gosselin said.

Jayakrishna can be reached at njayakrishna@globe.com.

© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.