Mother duck refuses to move from Staffordshire road until ducklings are rescued
Four ducklings that were stuck down a grate in Staffordshire have been rescued by the local community.
Andy Ryan documented the event on a twitter thread through a series of pictures showing how a mother duck pointed the community in the right direction to save her ducklings.
Mr Ryan spotted a duck with some ducklings on a pavement in Penkridge in Staffordshire on Wednesday (April 21).
He stopped and wondered how they were going to get all the way to the canal which was quite a long walk away.
After coaxing them in the direction of the canal, he said the mother duck refused to go more than 30 yards.
He said: "It was quacking loudly and was evidently stressed."
He was soon joined by locals who also tried to help.
It was then a postman who spotted some ducklings trapped under a grate.
People nearby began fetching some tools to get them out until one lady ran over with a long plastic ladle which did the trick.
Mr Ryan said "she and the tool guy somehow extracted four tiny trilling birds from between the narrow grates."
When the birds still seemed reluctant to head off to the water, one of the rescuers retrieved a box and they put the ducklings inside.
They made their way to the canal with the mother duck waddling behind.
Mr Ryan returned later in the day and found they were still "swimming happily together".
He added: "The whole experience made me feel proud to live in a community where everyone pitches in to help our most vulnerable, albeit non-human members."
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