Associated Press

An Ohio veteran says caring for his 14 ducks helps him manage his PTSD symptoms. But his town says they have to go.

West Lafayette's law, adopted in 2010, forbids residents from keeping animals like chickens, turkeys, and ducks. In late June, Darin Welker, 36, was cited for a minor misdemeanor for owning his ducks, and will argue his case in front of a municipal court Wednesday.

Welker told the Associated Press he suffers from depression after enduring a back injury in Iraq in 2005, and that the ducks help him with his symptoms. "Taking care of them is both mental and physical therapy," he said, adding that he has a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs that recommends he keep his ducks.

Welker, who hasn't worked outside his military service since 2000, has fed and cared for the ducks since March, when they were days old. The VA, which provided back surgery in 2012, did not approve physical therapy, nor did they give mental counseling, according to theCoshtocton Tribune.

If he loses in court, Welker won't face very severe punishment; the most he could be fined is $150. But there is hope that he can keep the ducks, especially after a fellow resident recently won a petition to keep a pot-bellied pig as therapy for her scoliosis.

TELL US: Do you think he should be able to keep his ducks?

Photo: Associated Press

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