Ducklings rescued from Kitchener sewer
A pair of ducklings are safe and sound after being rescued from a sewer by Kitchener staff.
Natalie Lyon was on shift Wednesday morning when a coworker heard noises coming from a nearby sewer gate. When she looked inside, she found two baby ducklings trapped underground.
“The mother duck was just kind of roaming around,” said Lyon.
Luckily, a group of bylaw officers were able to manually open the grate and free the two siblings.
“We just reached our hands in and pulled them up. You could tell that they were super happy to be reunited,” said Lyon.
Video shows the family being reunited.
Once the mother had everyone accounted for, city staff gave the reunited family a safe escort to Victoria Park.
Viewer video shows Kitchener bylaw reaching in to grab the ducklings. (Submitted Eric Grimes)
Common occurrence
According to Hobbitstee Wildlife Refuge, it is unfortunately common for ducklings to be stuck in sewers.
“The adults walk cross it and they do fine and the little ones walk across it and they fall through the gaps. So it’s a fairly common occurrence,” said wildlife custodian Chantal Theijn.
Experts said if a duckling is trapped, the mother will stay with it until she needs to start worrying about the rest of the flock.
If you come across a wild animal trapped under a grate, Hobbitstee suggested calling city staff immediately and take the proper precautions to save to the animal.
“If it’s roadside or on the road you have to be careful for traffic. Obviously, when you lift the sewer grate there’s always a risk of somebody falling in, stepping in, so all those logical cautions are in place. The duck parents really just want their babies back,” said Theijn.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.