This morning, WES First Responders answered an emergency call about seven ducklings that had fallen into a storm drain in Watsonville. The reporting party was standing by when our team arrived.
The ducklings, just a day or two old, were cold and shivering, but otherwise in good shape. They were lifted to safety and placed on heat inside the rescue vehicle.
Meanwhile, the team scouted for the mother duck.
Once her brood has hatched and the ducklings are dry, a mallard duck hen instinctively leads her young to water. This hen was probably walking her ducklings to Harkins Slough when the accident happened.
The hen had been seen circling the drain earlier, with one duckling at her side, but the two disappeared before our responders arrived. The team figured she was on course for the slough.
Sure enough, they spotted her - about 100 yards away, crossing a parking lot and headed for the water.
The team rushed to intercept her, but lost sight of her when she took cover in patch of tall grass.
They used the distress calls of her ducklings to draw her out.
Check out the heartwarming video of the reunion, below:
THANK YOU CELESTE, MIKE, PIPER, AND ZOE
FOR HELPING RESCUE THE DUCK FAMILY!
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