WAYNESBORO, Pa. — A tip from a concerned bystander, the combined efforts of two Pennsylvania regional game wardens and an assist from Waynesboro borough employees led to the rescue of three baby ducks from a storm drain in the Franklin County borough, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said Monday.
According to the account on the Game Commission's Southcentral Region Facebook page, the ducklings' mom was spotted in traffic near a storm drain by a concerned motorist. The duck refused to move and was acting erratically, the Game Commission said.
The motorist contacted the Game Commission, who dispatched regional wardens MJ Graham and Phil Bietsch to the scene.
The wardens quickly diagnosed the problem; they could hear the sound of baby ducks coming from a nearby storm drain.
The wardens were unable to access the drain without removing the drainage cover, so they contacted Waynesboro borough officials, who sent a group of workers with a backhoe to remove it.
Graham was then able to wriggle into the drain and gather up the three stranded ducklings, handing them safely to Bietsch, the Game Commission said.
After a health assessment, the ducklings were reunited with their mother, who led them on their way.
"This was a team effort with a happy ending," the Game Commission said. "A very special thank you to the concerned motorist who took the time to alert our dispatch center of the situation, the Waynesboro borough staff for their assistance, and to DSGW Graham for not hesitating to get herself into a ‘tight situation.'"
