Photos: Ducklings rescued from storm drain in Riverton neighborhood

Photos: Ducklings rescued from storm drain in Riverton neighborhood

(Diane Jackson)


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RIVERTON — Residents of a Riverton neighborhood heard squawks Monday morning and teamed up to rescue nine ducklings from a storm drain.

Diane Jackson said her neighbor, Carrie Marsden, heard unusual noises in their cul-de-sac on Kerilynn Courts around 11 a.m. Jackson said Marsden saw a mother duck sqawking near a storm drain, but when she walked over to investigate, she couldn’t see anything inside the drain. Marsden alerted Jackson and the two went to the storm drain with a flashlight and saw several ducklings through the grated drain cover.

“We could see at least six to eight,” Jackson said. “We were wondering, ‘How did they all fall in?’ They must have followed the mama and just went 'plunk, plunk, plunk.' The poor mama must have turned around and her babies were gone.”

Jackson said they contacted Riverton City officials to alert them of the situation before she and her neighbors took action to help the ducklings. Her husband, Rupert Jackson, got a ladder and climbed into to the 5-foot deep drain and scooped up all the ducklings.

“When he was all done, there was a total of nine,” Jackson said. “He put them all in a bucket and we waited for the mama to come back.”

When the city official arrived, Jackson said they found the mother duck near an irrigation canal behind their house and they released the ducklings. She said they frequently see ducks and ducklings roam their neighborhood due to the closeness of the canal, but she was surprised to find the ducklings in the storm drain.

“They were squawking down in there, and as soon as they were out and in the bucket, they were so calm,” she said. “It’s like they knew they were safe. They were so calm and quiet and just huddled together.”

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