THE world is a dangerous place for a bird with one eye, but this mallard has his own guide duck.

An attack by a rat on a nest of ducklings left the six-month-old bird with only one eye, and vulnerable when his mother abandoned the nest, but another duckling took him under her wing.

The Aylesbury duck, which had also been in the nest, took it upon herself to act as the other bird's eyes and now the two are inseparable.

Malcolm and Daisy swim, eat and waddle together, and if the Aylesbury wanders too far away, he will call her back.

They are living at Hope House Farm animal rescue centre, near Crawleyside, Stanhope, County Durham, and are to be rehomed together this weekend.

They were brought to the centre from Ashington, because they were being picked on by geese.

David Rowley, who runs the centre, said: "Even though one's a mallard and the other is an Aylesbury, they were both in the same nest for some reason.

"She walks in front of him, and, if they get more than 1ft away, he'll stop and quack, and the Aylesbury will go back to fetch him. Then they'll paddle off together.

"He's a lovely duck. He just has no eye whatsoever - there's nothing there. He'll put his head on one side to see where she is if he can't see her."

The pair will be going to a home in Chilton, County Durham