Fire brigade comes to the rescue. And all 12 little ducks come back

Wildlife news from Jennifer Berry, Wildlife Volunteers Assoc. Inc (WILVOS) 54416200 www.wilvos.org.au

A call came through on the Wilvos 24hour Hotline 0754416200 at 8:30pm. A member of the public (MOP) called in quite distressed, some baby ducklings had become separated from their parents and had fallen down a big drain.

They were heard calling for their parents, who were at the top of the drain unable to reach their babies. A dreadful situation. 

Due to the precarious situation with the drain, requiring lights, ladders and late at night, a Wilvos rescuer was unable to be sent out. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Rescue team were unable to attend until the following morning. However, the hotliner encouraged the MOP to contact the local Fire Brigade in the hope they were able to attend.

Luckily, the officers were free and able to come to the rescue. Setting up lights around the drain the two rescuers were able to locate the babies and safely extract them. 

Twelve baby Wood Ducks (Chenonetta Jubata) were retrieved and happily reunited with their parents.

Wood Ducks are quite common here on the Sunshine Coast. They live across the whole region but unfortunately with development they are ending up in our suburbs. Unlike other species of ducks, they prefer to graze on land for grasses and herbs over swimming. They often nest in tree hollows, requiring ducklings to jump from heights to reach the ground.

Sadly, this is not the first call of babies in a drain, separated from their parents, however this is a great story of dedicated people willing to assist in rescuing our wildlife. Forever grateful to the MOP who noticed them, called it in and went over and above to see through their rescue. A huge thank you to our First Responders, the local Fire Brigade, for saving them. 

A great outcome all round.