Maternal Duck Won’t Give Up On Chicks
The UK’s Daily Mail reports the heart-warming tale of a mother duck that refused to quit on her chicks.
The mallard mother lost her six chicks when they were swept away into a Newcastle, UK storm drain. Instead of waiting hopelessly at the drains opening for her families return, she waddled off in pursuit of the moving cheeps.
The chase is believed to have lasted over a mile crossing roads, railroad tracks, a hospital property and two school yards.
Eventually the young ducks chirps did not stop but came to a standstill. The closest their devoted mother could come was a manhole cover above them. And there she stayed for four hours.
Meanwhile, Peter Elliott, 59, was going for a run and noticed the mother duck as he left. He found it odd that she was still there when he returned. It was his two-year-old grandson James who heard the peeping of the isolated chicks.
The realization of the trapped chicks caused Elliott, Rob Jefferson, 30 and Jim Calder, 62 to round up equipment they needed to remove the manhole cover. After lifting the cover, the search and rescue was nearly complete.
“We managed to haul this heavy manhole cover up and saw six little ducklings scrabbling around in the drain,” said Mr Elliott. “We got a little fishing net from the house and lifted each duckling out in turn.
“We drove them to a lake near Newcastle airport and watched them swim happily away. It was a lovely moment.”
P&A News @ July 7, 2008