Sometimes, we get an adorable story from Malta which damn near breaks our hearts. Add a cute animal to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for a viral hit. 

Benji Zammit came across a duckling in the middle of the road, and he couldn’t bring himself to leave it there by itself. “It was early in the  morning and I was on my home from the gym,” Benji said. “I spotted a duck near the Naxxar Windmill next to the Higher Secondary School, and a bus was about to run him over. I got out of the car and stopped the bus and managed to catch him using my gym towel. Since we have chickens at home, I decided to take him home with me and raise him.”

Benji didn’t just offer the cute critter a new home, though. Soon, the ball of fluff had an Instagram account and a Reddit post that quickly went viral. It also had a new name.

This is Viserion the Dragon Duck (second of his name)

Benji named the duck Viserion to commemorate the first day they met. “His name, Vi for short, is after one of the dragons of Game of Thrones. I got him the day after I watched the fatal scene in Episode Six, and it was all still fresh in my mind.” As it happens, the duck also looks like the cutest little dragon in the world.

“He’s doing very well,” Benji said. “He’s swimming a lot and eating a lot. He imprinted on me, so he follows me everywhere at home and it’s amazing.”

Viserion made quite a hit online, with a Reddit post about him on r/aww gaining traction and loads of upvotes. 

Dozens of users commented about just how puffy and cute the duckling is, but the discussion inevitably also turned to Game of Thrones and Viserion the dragon. “He was named after him to fulfil what he continued,” Benji explained to the online community. “Not to be insensitive,” one user commented, “but could you update us with photos of Ice Duck, whenever that might happen?”

Viserion is now three weeks old, and he’s already showing signs of becoming a big boy. “Already impressing the birds”, Benji captioned a photo of the duck with a female friend.

He also explained to Lovin Malta Viserion’s diet, which would explain why he looks so adorably fierce. “I’m feeding him dragon food and hoping he does breathe fire eventually!”

Tag a friend who’ll love Viserion the Dragon Duck!

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).