Trapped Ducklings Get Second Chance Thanks to Dedham First Responders
Dedham Animal Control is celebrating a springtime rescue after responding to an urgent call involving ducklings trapped in a storm drain.
Dedham Animal Control in Dedham, Massachusetts, is celebrating a springtime rescue after responding to an urgent call involving ducklings trapped in a storm drain. “Yesterday, we were called out to rescue some ducklings that had fallen through a storm drain,” the department shared, describing how the situation quickly became a community effort that ended with eight young birds safe and on their way to professional wildlife care.
According to the announcement, Animal Control requested support from the Dedham Firefighters, and “DFD Group 3 arrived with their ladder truck, first removing the storm drain cover, and then assisting us in rescuing what ended up being 8 little ducklings.” The ducklings—an “octad,” as the post affectionately labeled them—were estimated and later confirmed to be about one week old, a fragile age that made the timely response especially important.
“Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for ducklings to fall through storm drain holes,” the department wrote, explaining that ducklings are “instinctively preprogrammed to follow their mothers” and that neither ducklings nor adult ducks are equipped to recognize “man-made hazards that appear within their natural environments.”
Typically, the mother duck’s behavior helps rescuers reunite families, the department noted, because “Mother ducks are extremely protective of their ducklings and usually pace back and forth very close to a storm drain if their babies have fallen into it.” In this case, however, “it was a different scenario yesterday, as the mother duck was not present during our rescue efforts nor did she return once the ducklings were all accounted for.” Dedham Animal Control said they waited “for about an hour and half, while also searching the area and waterways,” but ultimately began to suspect the ducklings had been abandoned.
With temperatures and predators posing risks, the department stepped in to provide immediate care. “We took the ducklings and kept them safe and warm overnight,” they shared, adding that a renewed search the next morning still didn’t locate the mother. “We transported the ducklings to our good friends at the New England Wildlife Center (NEWC),” the post continued, where staff confirmed the rescued group was “healthy and vibrant.”
The timing made the outcome even more notable. Dedham Animal Control learned at the wildlife center that the ducklings were “the first ducklings of which the NEWC has been aware this year,” since the region is “just about a week or two shy of duckling hatching in Massachusetts.” In a final upbeat note, the department added, “Leave it to Dedham’s young wildlife to pioneer the season!”
“The ducklings will remain at the NEWC for about eight weeks,” Dedham Animal Control wrote, “at which time they will be fully feathered and capable of surviving on their own.” The department closed by thanking the firefighters who helped make the rescue possible: “Thank you again, DFD Group 3!”