BONITA SPRINGS, FL. (1080 KRLD) - A group of firefighters in Florida got an assist from modern technology as they rescued several ducklings from a storm drain on a golf course.
Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue got a call about the ducklings Monday morning. A crew was dispatched, and firefighters were greeted by a distraught mother duck. Spokesperson Nicole Hornberger said, "This mama duck was very vocal and loud, and circling our firefighters who were already halfway into the drain and trying to get these ducklings out."
Hornberger said the stranded ducklings were both scared and stubborn. She was rolling cellphone video on the rescue attempt, and that hatched a great idea. Hornberger said, "One of our firefighters thought maybe they'll respond to this recording, because she (mama duck) came through pretty clearly on the cellphone video I had taken. So we just replayed that video multiple times, I want to say 50 or more times, and the ducks would hear her on the video and come out from in the middle of this pipe, towards the firefighters where they could scoop them up gently."
It worked. Every last duckling was reunited with Mom, and everybody went home happy.
Bonita Springs Fire Control and Rescue has received national attention for the kind rescue effort. Hornberger said, "I think there's always space, and we should make extra space for these feel-good stories, especially ones that involve any type of baby animal, but animals in general. And I think it's just something that our community, our society-at-large needs to get more of these feel-good stories."
