COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Make way for ducklings!
A flock of baby ducks stopped traffic in the Rockrimmon area Monday morning — literally!
The wayward ducklings took themselves on a little adventure without Mom, while ignoring that age-old parental wisdom: Always look both ways before crossing the street.
11 News chief photographer Mike Petkash was on his way to work when he saw vehicles stopped in both directions.
Then saw what was holding up traffic …
One good Samaritan tried to shoo the ducklings over, but they didn’t get off the road.
Instead of just driving on, Petkash decided to act as the ducklings’ guardian angel! As other cars left, he drove slowly behind the ducklings to make sure no one hit them.
When the ducklings scattered and ran back into the road, Petkash pulled over, waved at cars coming from the other direction to keep them from driving into the ducklings’ path, and helped steer the youngsters to safety. Watch that rescue below!
A happy ending for these seven siblings, and a round of quacks for Petkash!
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Our 11 News “Chief Good Samaritan” gets a gold star from Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) — with a few caveats.
He didn’t touch the wildlife, which is crucial.
“Ducklings and goslings can quickly imprint on humans, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife asks the public to never pick up these young birds,” CPW says on its website. “Each year, CPW takes calls from people who have picked up a young duck or goose … If a duckling or gosling imprints on a human, it will not be able to survive in the wild. It is critical these young birds are given space and are not interfered with. Even a brief human disturbance can have consequences and can lead to a young animal being separated from its family.”
And he got the ducklings out of danger!
Petkash did pull over, put his hazard lights on, and waited for traffic to pass before exiting his vehicle to help the ducklings. Even so, running into the roadway isn’t something CPW would recommend as a general rule, just because of the potential danger to the driver.
“It could be dangerous with vehicles in a roadway. We would recommend a more cautious approach — giving space and time and being patient for the wildlife to cross out of the street — maybe using flashing headlights to alert other drivers,” said Dean Miller, the public information officer for CPW.
He added:
“Spring and summer are exciting times for young wildlife. They are learning to walk, swim, fly and they make for fantastic wildlife viewing. As they are learning, they also can get into challenging situations that sometimes require professional assistance. In those instances, calling CPW is the right call. (719) 227-5200.
“While it is human nature to want to help wildlife, the most important thing young wildlife require is the absence of human interaction. They require our patience when they’re crossing a street, or in the path of a boat. It is normal for wildlife to leave their young for much longer periods of time to find food and calories to nurse than people are sometimes comfortable with. In these situations, it’s important to note the length of the absence and then alert CPW after 24 hours, but to otherwise never intervene, never relocate, never handle wildlife. In the case of ducks, there is also an avian influenza risk in handling them.”
The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) — which has handled its fair share of duckling rescues! — concurs.
“Honestly, we would definitely recommend doing exactly what Petkash did. Don’t pick them up or scare them. If you’re in a safe place and can guide them to a safe area, we would ask that you do that. A busy road is a different story of course. We would rather people slow down and let [the ducklings] pass if the traffic flow allows,” said CSFD spokesperson Ashley Franco.
CSFD and other law enforcement and first responder agencies in Colorado are no strangers to ducklings in peril! And not just busy streets: swimming pools and storm drains are common danger zones for ducklings.
Like CPW, the fire department recommends contacting the pros in most cases.
“If the ducks are in a dangerous situation [in Colorado Springs], our friends at Animal Law Enforcement would be the best bet. Usually if they can’t get to them, say if they’re trapped or stuck in a storm drain, they’ll call us to assist,” Franco said. “Oftentimes we respond to them stuck in drains or tough areas like that. We’ve also helped them get to safe spaces like in busy parking lots or on busy roads.”
Over the years, 11 News has covered many of these rescues, both in the Springs and across Colorado … here are a just a few of the most memorable!
And if it seems like these rescues are most frequent in the spring and summer, you’re not imagining things. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, most duck breeds typically build their nests between April-May, with ducklings hatching from the end of May through July or early August, making those peak months for curious baby ducks to be getting into trouble!
And when those mischievous babies are in tough spot, getting them OUT of trouble is just part of the job for firefighters, wildlife officers, and law enforcement.
“It’s important to help all community members, animal and human!” Franco told 11 News.
Leave young wildlife alone!
Part of living in Colorado is living side by side with wildlife! Spring and summer can be a delightful time of year with so many baby animals being born!
But Colorado Parks and Wildlife says it’s important not to disturb these youngsters, which could impact their very ability to survive in the wild. They offer the following tips:
Most young wildlife do not need rescuing
Nature has prepared them to survive without human intervention. In most cases, human interaction does more harm than good.
If you find young wildlife:
Report an abandoned animal or wildlife concern
Call the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Denver Headquarters at 303-297-1192, or any CPW Office, if you suspect an animal is injured or abandoned or to report incidents of feeding or other illegal wildlife activity.
Click here for more on living with wildlife in Colorado.
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