Police rescue ducklings in New Philadelphia
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (May 3, 2024) – Police officers rescued some ducklings from a storm drain near the mall Tuesday evening.
Capt. Dave Morris says he and Sergeant Mitch Gobely arrived at the scene after some Applebee’s customers noticed a duck guarding a storm sewer grate.
“They could actually hear the ducklings, for lack of a better term, crying for help.”
Gobely was there first. He removed the grate and climbed down.
“[The ducklings] actually kind of got scared and went into the storm drain itself instead of the bottom where you could actually see them. So through the help of some Applebee’s employees we gathered some items that could help us bring them toward us.”
Gobely lifted the ducks up to Morris who took them to the tree line. The mama duck let them do their job.
“It was actually kind of amazing. I wasn’t sure in the mama duck would come over and attack us because we were touching her babies, but she just patiently waited in the wood line and basically could just tell we were helper her out and bringing her babies back to her.”