PORTLAND, Maine — Twelve ducklings are now safe and sound after the local fire department responded to a report of a dozen ducks in distress after slipping through a grate on Sunday morning.
Lt. Chris Tillotson of Portland Fire Dept.’s Rescue One crew responded to an unusual dispatch call on May 26 around 9:30 a.m., when a report of twelve ducklings stuck in a High St. storm drain was called in.
“The ducks fell into a three-foot by three-foot, probably nine-foot deep storm drain,” said Tillotson.
Once the iron grate was popped off, Tillotson lowered himself into the hole using a ladder and started to search for the lost birds.
After handing eight of the dozen ducklings stuck in the drain to safety above, Tillotson used his cell phone to snap photos of the remaining four stuck in a pipe and retrieved them with a net.
Following the approximate 45-minute retrieval process, the ducklings were returned to their mother in the yard next door.
Unfortunately, baby birds falling through sewer grates is no rarity this time of year, in fact, the Wildlife Conservation and Management Program at Rutgers University calls it “common fate,” as mothers typically walk in front their offspring while crossing grates and drains.
Portland Fire Dept. Rescue One shared the uplifting news on Twitter and Facebook alongside photos of the local heroes in uniform holding their ducklings and rescue gear.
