Eight ducklings rescued after falling through sewer grate

(KHGI) — A mother duck in distress was calling for her babies who had fallen through a grate behind a Grand Island television studio was spotted around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Animal Control, Mall Security, a crew from our partner station NTV and the City of Grand Island all responded to help the mother duck save her ducklings.

The city workers brought in a loader after their attempts to get the grate out with tools failed, but the mother duck kept a close eye as father duck came flying in to find out what was going on.

After almost five hours of relentless work, eight ducklings were rescued.

“After we got the five out, I think it was the five, I just could put my head down by the grate and listen for some chirping and there was still a couple more chirps so we were getting more out,” says Mikayla Bailey an Animal Control Officer with the Central Nebraska Humane Society.

She said the ducklings will go with a Wildlife Rescue volunteer if they are unable to catch the mother and reunite her with the ducklings. If she is reunited, they will probably be released at the L.E. Ray Park in Grand Island Thursday afternoon.

Bailey says this wasn’t their only duck rescue Thursday morning – they also helped another duck family cross the road.

(This story was originally reported by our partner station KHGI)