With firefighters’ help, everything’s just ducky

Staff report

BOARDMAN — Township firefighters responded to the Starbucks on Boardman-Poland Road to assist a mother in rescuing her children.

While on a walk with her 11 children, a mother duck turned to notice her children were no longer behind her and created a loud disturbance near a sewer in the restaurant’s parking lot.

Starbucks customers notified the manager of the disturbance, and asked her to call the fire department for help. Firefighters from the U.S. Route 224 main fire station responded to find a young mother wood duck — whose 11 ducklings had fallen into a storm sewer — in the restaurant parking lot.

Firefighters, assisted by employees of the Starbucks, removed the grate from the drain, dropped down inside and lifted the 11 young ducklings into a cardboard box. The firefighters then carried the box of ducklings to a nearby creek, with the mother following close behind.

The box of ducklings was placed in the grass under a shade tree. After getting instructions from their mother, the ducklings left the box and followed her into the stream.