The title says despair to me, and I can certainly see some kind of growth on the head of the duck, but other elements in this image do not support these. The duck does not seem disturbed, in fact he has a smile on his face. THe colors and lighting do not help your communication either. Try fiddling with mood and angles to really make your point.
This is so sad and you can even see the sadness in his eyes. You've captured this well it really stirs emotions. Challenge excellently met here, good one.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhh this really broke my heart...I can't stand to see animals suffer. True despair.
Emotionally this grabbed me. Technically, the red eye is distracting. Composition is good.