Week old ducklings rescued from storm drain quackastrophe

Five ducklings have been rescued from a storm drain after being lured out by officers playing duck sounds on their mobile phones.

The little flock, thought to be around a week old, were trapped in the drain on Thursday when they followed their mother across Llantrisant Road in Pontypridd, Wales.

While the mother had managed to walk over the drain and climb into a hedge, five fell through the grate, with the incident being witnessed by a nearby motorist who called the RSPCA.

A crew from Pontypridd Fire and Rescue Stations were called to lift the drain, where they then closed the country road in one direction and managed traffic to allow for the two-hour rescue mission.

The animals were rescued unharmed and finally enticed out when officers played duck noises to them on their phones.

RSPCA inspector Sophie Daniels said: “These sorts of rescues take time and require patience because the ducklings can disappear along connecting side pipes, which is what they kept doing, so we got out our mobile phones and started playing duck sounds to try and entice them back into the main chamber where I could reach them.

“We were there for a good couple of hours, but the firefighters were absolutely determined to get them all out.

“The drain was too heavy for me to lift on my own, and it’s quite a fast country road, so their support was fantastic.”

Yesterday, in partnership with @RSPCAcymru, crews from Pontypridd Station rescued 5 little ducklings from a drain after they had followed their mum across the road 🦆💦

Well done to all involved in ensuring all five ducklings were rescued safely 👏

👉 https://t.co/smu9gv54Ej pic.twitter.com/jsba9VRDVP

— South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (@SWFireandRescue) May 6, 2022

Ms Daniels added everyone was “really pleased” when the ducklings were brought to the surface with nothing more than a few ruffled feathers.

“It’s another reminder of what we can do together for animal welfare,” she said.

“As always, we are incredibly grateful to the fire service for the compassion and care shown by their officers when we need to call on them for help.”

Because it’s highly unlikely the mother duck remained in the same place, the ducklings will sbe looked after by the RSPCA before going into the care of a local wildlife charity, where they will remain until they are old enough to be released.