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Lifestyle & Human Interest

Mama Duck Watches Intently As Firefighters Save Her Baby Ducklings from Storm Drain

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Animal mothers always amaze me, especially bird moms. First of all, they spend countless weeks sitting on their eggs waiting for them to hatch.

When the babies finally arrive, these special moms have to look out for multiple tiny birds. I can’t even imagine how hard it is to make sure all of your little babies are following close behind.

Whenever I think of ducklings following their mother through town, I picture the children’s book “Make Way for Ducklings.” In the story, Mrs. Mallard leads her babies to a park in Boston to meet their father, but they run into some trouble crossing the street and a police officer has to come to their aid.

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A family of ducks ran into a similar problem in Gilbert, Arizona, and luckily for the mama duck, firefighters were there to help.

As the mother had been leading her babies down the road, one by one, they got trapped in a storm drain! People passing by noticed the frantic duck and called firefighters for help.

Mama duck watched intently as the rescuers pried open the storm drain. Quacking the entire time, she paced in circles around the men, letting them know she was distressed.

Carefully, a firefighter climbed down into the hole and began to pull the ducklings out. The mother duck seemed to count her children as they were placed on the street next to her and then peeked down into the hole to make sure all of her other babies were still safe.

After they get four out, the remaining babies ran to the other side of the storm drain and the firefighters removed the covering on that end to try and reach the ducklings.

Frustrated with the rescue efforts, mama duck jumped into the hole herself to check on her children and steer them back to their rescuers. After she flew out, the firefighters ran into another problem; they had to make sure the ducklings did not fall back into the drain.

“Sir? Can you be on duckling patrol and make sure they don’t fall back in?” a firefighter asked a bystander.

As the rescuers wrangled the babies, mama duck was still watching over the rescue, counting each baby and making sure her entire brood was saved.



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Finally, they grabbed the final one and placed him in line as the mother waddled off with all of her ducklings in tow.

These firefighters had incredible patience, and all their hard work reunited the duck family in the end.

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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