OKOTOKS - Okotoks firefighters came to the rescue of seven stranded ducklings last Sunday night.
Recent Holy Trinity Academy graduates Kaydie and Ryan noticed a female duck circling around a storm drain in the Westmount neighbourhood. When they walked closer, they found that seven ducklings had followed their mother over the grill and had slipped through the cracks and fallen to the bottom, and were chirping frantically. The mother flew off but stayed nearby.
The teens called 911 and shortly thereafter Okotoks’ finest showed up and went to work. Yes, surprisingly, they had plenty of experience with this type of wildlife rescue. They prepared all the necessary equipment, ensuring everyone’s safety, removed the rusted, jammed drain grill and a member volunteered to descend carefully to the bottom while ensuring the ducklings were not underfoot.
Slowly, one by one, he lifted each of them up and over into the waiting bucket where they huddled together quietly.
The intrepid firefighter crawled down even lower with his flashlight to ensure none of the ducklings were left behind. Satisfied, he was helped out of the drain and the grill was secured back in place.
Next, the team had to confirm if the mother duck was still waiting for her chicks. Yes indeed, as she flew off yet again once he got too close to her hiding spot in the adjacent grain field.
Ryan and Kaydie conferred with the whole crew and agreed the best course of action was to slide the ducklings out of the bucket within what they hoped would be the mother’s audible range of the ducklings’ chirps for help.
Hoping that no coyotes were lurking and watching nearby off went the firefighter back into the field, returning a few minutes later, fingers crossed that mission possible was a success.
Heartfelt thanks go to everyone involved for their professionalism, compassion and dedication. Apologies to the neighbours for all the late-night flashing lights but small random acts of kindness like this one does make for a better world for us and the animals who sometimes need our help.
