A duckling’s most pronounced characteristic, other than cuteness, is vulnerability.
They have a pretty high mortality rate. They are born without waterproof feathers and require some waterproof covering from their mom’s oil gland, which helps to keep their body temperature steady so they don’t drown. They also walk in a close-knit group, just like the baby duckling in this hilarious video, because they cannot fly and are susceptible to predators unless they travel in a pack and stay close to their mother. Lastly, they develop a sense of hearing long before they can fully see.
Being that baby ducks have Mr. Magoo’s vision, it makes sense that, if a duckling stumbled upon a storm drain, they could easily fall in. This is exactly what happened in Slidell, LA — six times!
Half a dozen baby Mallards were seen falling into a cold, watery storm drain, far from their ma. A person who witnessed what happened called St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 and firefighters flew to the scene. They removed the top cover of the drain to gain access to the ducks, but they were so far down the drain that the team was having a difficult time grabbing them.
That’s when firefighter Cody Knecht played a duck call ringtone on his iPhone, luring the ducks closer to him with their keen sense of hearing.
The video of this rescue is pretty phenomenal — and you can check it out below — but before you do, these same firefighters had another strange rescue…
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Fire Chief – Chris KaufmannFor Immediate Release April 26, 2015Baby Ducks Rescued from Storm DrainSlidell, LA. – On Saturday, April 25, 2015 at approximately 5:24 pm, St. Tammany Fire District #1 responded to a call for baby ducks trapped in a storm drain. The incident occurred on Oak Tree Dr. in the Fairways subdivision in Slidell. A neighbor reported seeing a number of baby ducks fall into a storm drain. Upon arriving on the scene, firefighters verified that several baby Mallard ducks were trapped in the storm drain. Firefighters removed the top cover of the drain to gain access to the ducks. Firefighter Cody Knecht got down in the drain to try and capture the ducks. Captain Chuck Davis, Fire Operator Jason Theriot, and Fire Prevention Officer Billy Dekemel assisted from above. With the help of a duck call ringtone on his iPhone, Firefighter Knecht was able to lure the baby ducks to him. It took about an hour and a half to rescue four of the six baby ducks. Unable to capture the other two baby ducks, the crew went back to the fire station to give the ducks a chance to calm dawn. They returned about an hour later and rescued the two remaining baby ducks. All of the baby ducks were reunited with their mother in the canal behind the home where the incident took place.St. Tammany Fire District #1 responds to numerous public service calls such as these each year. This is the second duck rescue call in less than a week. Firefighters are always eager to help and enjoy giving back to the community. Fire Chief Chris Kaufmann has stressed to our citizens, “If you don’t know who to call for help, call us”.For more information about St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 visit us at www.slidellfire.org or follow us on Facebook – St. Tammany Fire District #1 and Twitter – @SlidellFire_PIOChad DuffautChief of Fire Prevention/PIOcduffaut@slidellfire.org
Posted by St. Tammany Fire Protection District #1 on Sunday, April 26, 2015
Just a week earlier, the firefighters at St. Tammany had another oddball rescue.
Something was stuck in a resident’s chimney.
What they finally discovered in the chimney was a duck! Was this an omen for the storm drain ducklings? Or is there just something in the water in Slidell, LA?
This time, when the ducks were stuck in the drain, he lured them out by using the "duck" alarm on his iPhone. Check out the footage below.
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