Oxford resident KC Orr was in Waterford June 15 when she lent her services to a female mallard duck in distress.
She was at her son’s baseball game at Waterford Kettering High School and needed to run into town.
Kettering didn’t have any restroom facilities available, so Orr and her daughter, Kennedy, got into their vehicle to head to the closest McDonald’s.
She saw a female mallard duck circulating around one area in the parking lot.
KC raised ducks last year and knew it wasn’t normal behavior. She stopped the vehicle and got out to take a closer look.
The mallard was walking around a storm sewer drain. A peek inside, gave a view of baby ducks had fallen through the grate covering and were trapped.
‘They were really small,? she noticed. ‘They were probably only a few days old.?
Kennedy counted the ducklings and ten had fallen in. KC called 9-1-1 to see if they could send someone to help get the cover off and get the ducklings out.
She was told by the dispatcher the police and DNR wouldn’t come out, and animal control only handled domestic cases.
‘I wasn’t leaving until the babies were out,? she said.
KC returned to the game and asked parents if they had a crowbar so she could take the cover off of the drain. She returned with fellow parents Greg Brooks and Jim Blain.
They took off the cover and Brooks proceeded down the hole. ‘The mother duck walked in circles around them quacking as they rescued them,? said witness Angie Griffith, an Oxford resident.
Brooks brought the ducklings to the surface and KC had a box and blanket waiting to take the ducklings to their home.
‘It was so cute,? she said. ‘I took the box down to the lake and they ran to her (their mom) and she ran to them.?
KC figured the small ducklings had fallen through the grates while they were following their mom. ‘Anybody would have done it,? she said.