Today, as I came home from picking my car up at the mechanic, my neighbor walked up to me to tell me that some newborn ducklings had fallen into a stormdrain. As most of my friends know, that's all I needed to hear. I ran to the storm drain and tried to get a plan in action in order to rescue them. It didn't take long before a crowd of on-lookers gathered around. I asked one of the men to remove the cover off of the storm drain as I quickly ran home to get a loaf of bread to see if we could get them to come out of hiding. At the same time, the mother duck and her remaining two ducklings were circling around anxiously. I started throwing pieces of bread into the drain hoping the ducklings would come out so we could grabe them.Sure enough, as I threw the first piece in, six tiny little ducklings appeared. I tried grabbing one of them, but they were too fast, and as quick as can be, they hid further down inside the drain where they were impossible to catch. I asked someone to bring the skimmer from the pool and we tried several times to no avail. Again, they were too fast. All of a sudden, a lightbulb went off in my head. Why don't we call the Fire Department? How many times have we heard and seen stories on T.V. of cats stuck up a tree or in a storm drains rescued by firefighters? I dialed 911 non-emergency and within five minutes the fire truck, along with five or six very willing and able firefighters came to the ducklings' rescue. They tried everything, even flooding the storm drain with water, but in the end, only managed to rescue one of the little ones. After over an hour of trying, they eventually called it quits and were on their way. Mama duck, anxiously circling the drain the entire time, also called it quits and went on her way, now with three little ducklings in tow. There I sat, my heart aching for the five tiny, defenseless ducklings that I had to abandon, knowing of their pending demise.
I guess Mother Nature knows what she's doing. There is a method and a perfect balance to her cruelty and beauty. A neighbor told me the mother duck had 19 little ducklings that hatched a few days ago. If all were meant to survive, we would no doubt be faced with an over-population of ducks sooner than later. Instead of the 19, only 3 will most likely survive - ensuring the survival of the species but not an over-population. It might be perfect, but none-the-less, sad. I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight. The idea of those five little ones, scared and alon,e just breaks my heart to pieces. As I conclude this post, almost six hours have past. I have gone back to the storm drain on numerous occasions and tried getting them out, but nothing has worked. I just hear the little things chirping away anxiously. Night falls and with it, the scavengers are sure to emerge shortly. Poor little, defenseless creatures....they don't have a chance.
Today, as I came home from picking my car up at the mechanic, my neighbor walked up to me to tell me that some newborn ducklings had fallen into a stormdrain. As most of my friends know, that's all I needed to hear. I ran to the storm drain and tried to get a plan in action in order to rescue them. It didn't take long before a crowd of on-lookers gathered around. I asked one of the men to remove the cover off of the storm drain as I quickly ran home to get a loaf of bread to see if we could get them to come out of hiding. At the same time, the mother duck and her remaining two ducklings were circling around anxiously. I started throwing pieces of bread into the drain hoping the ducklings would come out so we could grabe them.Sure enough, as I threw the first piece in, six tiny little ducklings appeared. I tried grabbing one of them, but they were too fast, and as quick as can be, they hid further down inside the drain where they were impossible to catch. I asked someone to bring the skimmer from the pool and we tried several times to no avail. Again, they were too fast. All of a sudden, a lightbulb went off in my head. Why don't we call the Fire Department? How many times have we heard and seen stories on T.V. of cats stuck up a tree or in a storm drains rescued by firefighters? I dialed 911 non-emergency and within five minutes the fire truck, along with five or six very willing and able firefighters came to the ducklings' rescue. They tried everything, even flooding the storm drain with water, but in the end, only managed to rescue one of the little ones. After over an hour of trying, they eventually called it quits and were on their way. Mama duck, anxiously circling the drain the entire time, also called it quits and went on her way, now with three little ducklings in tow. There I sat, my heart aching for the five tiny, defenseless ducklings that I had to abandon, knowing of their pending demise. 
I guess Mother Nature knows what she's doing. There is a method and a perfect balance to her cruelty and beauty. A neighbor told me the mother duck had 19 little ducklings that hatched a few days ago. If all were meant to survive, we would no doubt be faced with an over-population of ducks sooner than later. Instead of the 19, only 3 will most likely survive - ensuring the survival of the species but not an over-population. It might be perfect, but none-the-less, sad. I'm going to have a hard time sleeping tonight. The idea of those five little ones, scared and alon,e just breaks my heart to pieces. As I conclude this post, almost six hours have past. I have gone back to the storm drain on numerous occasions and tried getting them out, but nothing has worked. I just hear the little things chirping away anxiously. Night falls and with it, the scavengers are sure to emerge shortly. Poor little, defenseless creatures....they don't have a chance.