Six Ducklings Rescued From North Reading Sewer Drain
NORTH READING (CBS) – Six ducklings are looking for their missing mother after a harrowing rescue from a North Reading storm drain.
Emergency crews responded to reports of a mother duck squealing and crying near a drain on Main Street in North Reading.
The mother and her ducklings were taken to Lynnfield animal hospital for an evaluation, according to the fire department.
An office worker first noticed the mother duck with a line of babies just outside her building. When she looked again, moments later, she noticed the mother duck flapping and making noise over a storm drain. The babies were missing.
"If you tried to go near the storm drain, she'd attack you," said Joe Lovetere, a mover who was working in the area.
Witnesses called 911, and the town responded.
"Police crews called us for their help, and we basically used water to raise the water so ducks could swim out the other end," said North Reading Fire Capt. Joe Marotta.
His crew used a fire hose to fill one drain, forcing them out another drain, where a firefighter scooped them out with a net. Six of eight survived.
"This was a nice call," said Marotta.
There is one big problem. The mother duck was spooked away, and can't be found.
The town's animal control officer says she's looking for an animal rehab facility willing to take the ducklings in.
Mother's Day has come and gone, but rescuers are hoping the mother duck shows up for a family reunion soon.