13 ducklings reunited with mama after heartwarming rescue from Paso Robles storm drain
Early Thursday morning, Paso Robles police and fire department officials were dispatched to conduct an urgent rescue operation that was causing traffic delays along a busy city road.
The subjects? A brood of 13 ducklings who’d all stumbled into a storm drain.
The ducklings had fallen through the grate after their mother had guided them across the busy intersection at Niblick and Creston roads as drivers paused to watch.
Upon arrival, the first responders quickly assessed the situation and determined they would need to remove the storm drain’s grate to reach the baby ducks.
Once the drain was exposed, firefighter Christopher Seyle jumped in along with the necessary equipment for the rescue operation: a blue, 5-gallon bucket.
Seyle then spent about 30 minutes carefully scooping one tiny duckling after another into the bucket.
In the process, he noticed one intrepid baby duck had waddled its way further into the drain, out of his reach.
Not to fear, however, and a quick call was made to police Sgt. Steve Boyett, who happens to carry a hen duck call in his truck at all times.
Boyett crouched over the storm drain and blew on the duck call.
Before long, the straggler waddled out, right into the waiting hands of Seyle, who deposited it into the bucket with its 12 siblings.
While the rescue was ongoing, the mother duck lingered nearby, “keeping tabs on the rescue efforts, giving pointers to our firefighter when necessary,” the Paso Robles Police Department posted on Facebook Thursday.
When the rescue was complete, she was reunited with her ducklings, and the family trundled off, last seen heading toward Deeds Bar & Grill, according to the Police Department’s post.
This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 4:59 PM.
